The Ultimate Betrayal
by cg2001
Summary: This is my take on what would happen if Sweets recommended Brennan be removed from the field, and Cam, Cullen and Booth agreed.
1. Chapter 1

**DIsclaimer: I don't own anything regarding Bones, Booth, Brennan or any of the rest of them, as much as I would like to!**

**I got this idea from another writer who started with the same idea, but took it in a totally different direction. This is my first attempt at writing, so let me know what you think!**

Dr. Temperance Brennan was having a very good day. She met Booth at the diner for breakfast, where they discussed their last case. Booth was acting uncharacteristically nervous and edgy, but Brennan chalked that up to the stress from the case. They had identified the remains of a man who had been found buried in the woods next to a rest stop right out of DC. The man had been travelling from Jacksonville, Florida on his way to a family reunion in Pennsylvania. He had stopped to take a break from the long drive, and had been robbed and killed at the rest area. The robbers had attacked the man with a tire iron, which they left at the scene. Fingerprints had been recovered from the tire iron, and Brennan and her team had been able to prove that tire iron had been used to kill him by positively matching the tire iron to the indentions left in the skull. The entire case had been wrapped up within 48 hours, culminating in the confession of both of the robbers once they were confronted with the forensic evidence against them.

Once Brennan arrived at her office, she spent several hours finishing the paperwork for the case, and then started working on a set of remains from Limbo. She and Angela even had time to go out for lunch, where they got a chance to catch up on some "girl talk". The atmosphere in the Lab had been tense and sad since they lost Zack, but Brennan was finally beginning to feel that things were beginning to get back to normal.

At about 3:00 in the afternoon, Brennan looked up from the stack of paperwork she was working on to see a courier from the FBI handing her an envelope. She signed for the envelope and sat back to review its contents. It was not uncommon for the FBI to send over information pertaining to one of their ongoing cases, so she was unconcerned about the contents of the envelope.

As she read the letter, her expression quickly changed from her normal calm expression to a look of horror. Her head started to spin, and she became instantly lightheaded and dizzy, and the color drained from her face. She placed both hands on her desk, and started to hyperventilate.

"Hey Bren!" Angela called from the door of her office. "What do you think about going out to grab a few drinks after work tonight?" As Angela walked into her office, she noticed Brennan staring at a piece of paper on her desk, looking like her world had just been pulled out from under her.  
"Bren!", Angela cried, running to her friend. Brennan felt Angela's hands on her shoulders, turning her around in her chair to face her. "What's wrong? What happened? Are you ok?"

Brennan looked up at her friend with a look of utter shock on her face, and tears in her eyes. "it's over, Ange" she said. "My life here is over." Brennan handed Angela the letter she had been so focused on seconds ago.

As Angela read the letter, her expression quickly changed from confused to angry. "Dear Dr. Brennan", the letter read. "After much deliberation, Dr. Lance Sweets has recommended that you be removed from active field work with the FBI. In light of recent events, including your reaction to the "death" of Special Agent Seeley Booth, and Dr. Zack Addy's incarceration, it has been determined that you will need to undergo psychiatric treatment to help you deal with these unfortunate events before you are evaluated to determine your fitness to return to the field.

You will continue to work with Special Agent Booth in identifying remains for the FBI, but Agent Booth will be assigned a new partner to work with him in the field. This decision has not been made lightly, and was made with input from Special Agent Seeley Booth, Dr. Sweets, and Dr. Camille Seroyian from the Jeffersonian. Your partnership and cooperation has proven to be beneficial to the FBI, and we look forward to continuing to work with you in this revised capacity. Sincerely, Director Cullen."

Angela looked at Brennan with the same look of horror she had seen on Brennan's face moments before. "Sweetie", she cried. "They can't do this to you. You and Booth are the best at what you do! You don't have any issues that need to be resolved! What was Booth thinking, to agree to this?" "I don't know, Angela", said Brennan, with a cold, determined look in her eyes. "But I intend to get to the bottom of it."

Fifteen minutes later, Dr. Temperance Brennan walked into FBI Headquarters. Calmly signing in at the reception desk, she headed directly to Booth's office. As she approached his office door, Booth's desk agent, Charlie, greeted her. "Hi, Dr. Brennan. Agent Booth isn't in his office, he's in a meeting with Director Cullen." "Thanks, Charlie", Brennan replied, as she turned and headed for Cullen's office. When she entered Cullen's office, his assistant told her that he was in a meeting, and couldn't be disturbed. "We'll see about that", Brennan replied, walking right past Cullen's assistant, and walking straight through into Cullen's private office.

When she opened the door, Brennan found Cullen sitting at the head of his conference table, meeting with Sweets, Booth and Cam. "What is the meaning of this, Dr. Brennan" shouted Cullen, rising from the table. "This is my private office! You can't just come charging in here!" "I'm sorry, Director Cullen. Since this meeting is obviously about me, I have every right to be here". "This isn't helping your case, Brennan," said Cullen with anger radiating from his voice. "I'm not here to help my case, Director Cullen" said Brennan. "It is obvious to me that you all have made your decision. But, there are some things that I need to say to all of you in light of these circumstances." Brennan looked around the room, gazing pointedly at Sweets, Cam and Booth before turning her attention back to Cullen. "I have a few things to say, Director Cullen. Then, I will leave you all to continue your meeting with no further interruption."

With a cold, emotionless expression on her face, she turned to Dr. Lance Sweets. "Sweets", she said. "I have tolerated your unprofessional treatment long enough. When you experimented on Booth and me by failing to tell me that he was really alive after the shooting at the Checkerbox, I decided to let it go. While your actions were unprofessional and unethical, I decided to overlook your actions since you were helpful in profiling suspects in the interrogation room." She gazed at him with a look of complete contempt. "The fact that you are now using your experimentation as the basis to attack my professionalism I find unforgivable. There has been no change in the quality of my work, my attention to detail, or my devotion to my job as a result of your unethical actions. You have no right to recommend that I be removed from any aspect of my job, and I resent your implications." I plan to contact the American Psychiatric Association to recommend the revocation of your license to practice."

Turning to Cam, she said "Dr. Seroyian. You have worked with me in close proximity, and have seen the level of professionalism and commitment I bring to my job. While I will admit that we have not always had the easiest relationship, I had come to believe that we now regarded each other with respect for the other's abilities and dedication to bringing closure to our victims and their families. I see now that I was mistaken. I have done nothing to deserve your lack of faith in my abilities. As such, I can no longer work with you in any capacity. My letter of resignation will be on your desk when you return to the Jeffersonian, effective immediately."

Seeley Booth sat at the table, with a look of complete shock and terror on his face. Rising from his seat, he started towards Brennan with his hand outstretched. "Bones", he said. "Please listen to me, let me explain!" Turning toward Booth, Brennan's face showed the first sign of emotion since she entered the room. The look of pain on her face was unmistakable, but was gone almost as soon as it registered. All traces of warmth were gone from her wide blue eyes as she looked at him. The look she gave him was as cold and unfamiliar as when she looked at him for the very first time, when he first came to the Jeffersonian to introduce himself to her. "Agent Booth," she said. "My name is Dr. Temperance Brennan, and you will refer to me as such." The animosity in her tone hit him like a slap in the face, knocking him back into his chair. "You have disappointed me the most, Agent Booth. I thought that we had forged a partnership and a friendship over these past four years. I considered you my closest friend. You were the person I shared the most personal details of my life with. You told me I could trust you always, and that you would always be there for me. You told me that partners could always count on each other when things got rough, and that we would always have each other's backs. If you had any reservations about my ability to do my job, you owed it to me to discuss those reservations with me directly, instead of working behind my back to have me removed from the field. You have betrayed me, and the trust I placed in you. You, of all people, know how committed I am to my work, and how important it is to me. For you to take that away from me is unforgivable. I believed in the work we were doing, and I believed in you. You have taken all of that away from me. You have destroyed our partnership and my faith and trust in you. Don't even contact me again."

Throwing Cullen's letter on the conference table, Dr. Temperance Brennan turned and walked out of Cullen's office.

**Since this is my first story, I have no idea if it is any good, or if I should keep going. My plan is to make this a multi-chapter story. Any reviews would be appreciated, especially constructive ones, letting me know what I am doing wrong (or right!) Thanks for taking the time to read this!**


	2. Chapter 2

Brennan's departure left Cullen, Cam, Sweets and Booth in shocked silence. Booth was the first to recover, standing up and almost running for the door to follow Brennan. Cullen's stern voice called him back to the table to finish the meeting. Turning to Booth, Cullen said "Booth, what did Dr. Brennan mean when she said that Sweets experimented on the two of you by not telling her that you weren't really dead? And why wasn't I made aware of this sooner?" "Well, sir," Booth replied, "I wasn't aware that Sweets was conducting an experiment by not telling Bo… I mean Dr. Brennan. She was on the list of people who should be told my "death" was fake, but Sweets never told her. When we confronted him, Sweets told us that he thought that she could compartmentalize so effectively that she would be able to handle my "death", and since this was a National Security issue, he determined that she should not be told."

Cullen turned to Sweets, with anger radiating off of him in almost tangible waves. "Sweets," Cullen growled. "Do you honestly mean to tell me that you experimented on the FBI's most successful team? Did you think that I would condone your behavior? What were you thinking!" Cullen's face was turning so red that Booth started to think his head might explode. "Dr. Brennan is a human being, with feelings and emotions just like the rest of us. How dare you allow her to think that her partner and best friend was dead for two weeks? What exactly was your recommendation to remove her from the field based on, Sweets? Was it more experimentation? Are the agents and contractors of the FBI your personal play things?"

Sweets face had lost all of its color when Dr. Brennan revealed his "experiment", and he had yet to recover. A thin sheen of perspiration covered his face, and his hands were visibly shaking. "Sir," he said, "I was just trying to observe Dr. Brennan's response to such a strong emotion. I knew how close she and Booth were, and it was a fascinating opportunity to see how someone who has such strong control over their emotions would deal with such a situation. I was hoping to learn information that would enable me to more effectively help this and other teams within the FBI in the future. My recommendation to remove Dr. Brennan from the field is based on the criteria I gave you when we initially spoke. It would be impossible for anyone to process all of the events that have occurred in Dr. Brennan's life without needing professional help in doing so."

Cullen looked at Sweets with a mixture of shock and disgust. "That is not how you portrayed the situation to me earlier, Sweets. You told me directly that she was having problems performing her job, and that she was so distracted by these events that she could endanger Agent Booth's life in the field. Had you told me that you just assumed that she would have problems dealing with these circumstances, I never would have taken this action without discussing this with her directly." Turning to Cam, he said "and you, Dr. Seroyian. Why on earth would you go along with Sweets' recommendation, when you work with this woman every day? Did you actually see any evidence that she was not performing her job up to her usual exemplary standards?"

Cam shifted in her chair uncomfortably. Unable to meet Cullen's icy stare, she said "I may not have seen any change in Dr. Brennan's work, but I stand by my decision to support Dr. Sweet's recommendation. Dr. Brennan does not belong out in the field. She is a scientist, not an FBI agent. Running around after Booth all the time is not her job, and I want her back in the lab, full time."

Looking at Cam, Booth came to a realization. He couldn't believe how stupid he had been. "Cam, this is personal for you! You went along with this asinine recommendation because you are jealous of the time that Dr. Brennan and I spend together. You blamed her for our breakup, and you are using this as an excuse to hurt her in the most devastating way you can think of. Bones is passionate about her work, and proud of her reputation. You did this on purpose to undermine her confidence and her reputation. I can't believe that I ever thought you were good enough to even be in the same room with her, and I can't believe that I had the incredibly bad taste to ever date you in the first place!"

"I went along with all of you because I listened to you, and started to think that Bones needed some time to come to grips with everything she has had to deal with lately. You have cost the FBI its most successful partnership, and you have cost me the friendship and respect of the most important person in my life, next to my son. Sweets, Cam, I will never forgive either one of you for this." Turning to Cullen, Booth said "Sir, if you will excuse me, I really need to find Dr. Brennan." "Of course you do" Cullen said. "Go find her, and let her know that we value her and need her back as part of our team."

Pointing to Cam and Sweets, he said "You two, get out of my office. I can't stand to look at either one of you right now. I can promise you that I will support Dr. Brennan's recommendation to have your license to practice revoked, Dr. Sweets, and you will be escorted from the building when you leave this office. You are fired, and I will have the personal items in your office shipped to you. I will not give you the opportunity to do any further damage. I would start working on your resume, if I were you Dr. Seroyian. I will be contacting the board of the Jeffersonian, and making them fully aware of the events that have transpired regarding Dr. Brennan."

Once Cullen told Booth he could leave, Booth wasted no time, bolting out of his chair and out the door with only one thing on his mind. He had to find Bones and make this right. His heart felt like it would jump out of his chest. How could he have been so blind to not see what was going on right in front of his face? Sweets and Cam both had ulterior motives when it came to his Bones, and he had put his faith in them instead of her. He felt sick to think that he had played a part in betraying her and undermining her ability to do her job. He drove to the Jeffersonian using his SUV's lights and siren in a desperate attempt to get there before she had a chance to do anything she (or he) would regret.

Booth slammed on the breaks in front of the door to the Jeffersonian, not even bothering to look for a parking space. He barely managed to put the SUV in park before bolting from the truck in to the building. He was met at the entrance to the Medico-Legal lab by Angela, who stood waiting for him with tears running down her face. "You are too late, Booth. Bren walked in to her office and typed a quick letter of resignation that she left on Cam's desk. She went back into her office and grabbed her laptop and a few other personal things, and then she left. I tried to find out where she was going, but she didn't even seem to hear me. She told me that she is never coming back."

Booth couldn't believe what he was hearing. He ran to her office to see for himself, and sure enough. There was nothing left of Brennan's. The shelves where she kept her pictures and personal books were empty, and her laptop was gone. Booth frantically looked around for something to indicate that she would be back, but the office was as cold and empty as the look in her eyes the last time he saw her. He glanced down at the trashcan next to her desk, and fell to his knees, his head in his hands. Lying in the trash can were Jasper and Brainy Smurf.


	3. Chapter 3

**I promise the whole story won't be so depressing; I just need to set the stage and depict the total devastation that the whole team is going through. There will be some kind of a light at the end of the tunnel, I'm just not sure when!**

Brennan walked through her bedroom one last time, making sure she had everything she would need for her trip. Her needs were going to be simple: her field kit, laptop and a week's worth of clothes. She always travelled light, preferring to wash her clothes often instead of taking more than she could comfortably carry. As she walked toward the front door, she paused to take a last look at the apartment that had held so many memories. She thought about countless evenings of paperwork and Thai food, exploding refrigerators, serial killers and family. Straightening her shoulders, she shook off the memories and the emotions they brought with them. She was done with emotion. She had tried opening her heart and letting people into her life. Obviously, that was a mistake. Brennan was a very quick study; she did not have to learn the same lesson twice. Grabbing her bags, she walked into the hallway, closing the door on her life in DC.

As she waited to board the flight for Argentina, she opened her laptop to send the e-mails needed to attend to unfinished business. She e-mailed Angela, Jack, her father and Russ to let them know where she was going, and to tell them that she would be in contact via e-mail whenever she could. She was going to a mass grave site in a desolate area in the mountains of Argentina, and communication would be very difficult. There were estimates of hundreds of bodies to be excavated and identified, so she had no idea how long she would be gone. It didn't really matter, though. She was never coming back to DC. She sent her publisher a quick note to let them know that she would be unavailable for book tours and publicity events until further notice. Finally, she sent an e-mail to Zack. She felt so badly about him. She knew she was abandoning him, but there was no choice. She would continue to make sure that he had everything she was allowed to provide for him, and would e-mail him from time to time to see how he was doing. She wrote to her attorney, instructing him to arrange for movers to pack and store the contents of her apartment, and to place the apartment on the market. With all of the details of her departure arranged, she settled back to wait for her boarding call.

Angela's frantic call to Booth upon receiving Brennan's e-mail reached him as he neared the airport. He had gone to her apartment after leaving her office, only to find it empty. As soon as he walked in the door, he knew she was gone. Knowing her habit of leaving for far away digs whenever her life was falling apart, he headed toward the airport, desperate to find her so he could deliver Cullen's message, and try to find some way to repair the damage he had done. He parked in the loading zone at the airport, jumping out of the SUV almost before it had come to a complete stop. Waving his badge at the traffic cop racing to tell him he couldn't park there, Booth burst through the sliding doors and ran to the departure board. He saw that he still had half an hour before Brennan's plane boarded, so he sprinted toward the gate, using his badge to get him through security an into the terminal.

His heart almost jumped out of his throat as he saw her sitting in the departure area. Finally, he would have a chance to make this right and bring her back home. As he sunk into the seat next to her, he felt her stiffen and lean away. "Bones, you have to let me explain what happened. I never meant to question your abilities, or to hurt you. I was only trying to protect you, and give you the time I thought you needed to sort out all of the recent trauma in your life. Please, take the next flight. Give me a chance to explain." Turning in her seat to face him, Brennan looked at him with the same expression he saw on her face in Cullen's office. The coldness in her eyes nearly took his breath away. "Agent Booth," she said, "I thought I made myself clear in Director Cullen's office. My name is Dr. Temperance Brennan, and you will address me as such if you have to address me at all. When I said that I never wanted to see you again, I meant it. I don't really care what your reasons were for agreeing that I'm not competent to do my job. The fact is that you agreed to it. I cannot work with someone who doesn't trust in my abilities, and I cannot work with someone I can't trust. So, there is nothing left to say. My plane will be boarding shortly, so I suggest you head back to your office to meet your new partner."

Choking back the tears that were quickly rising in his throat, Booth tried again. "Bo…Dr. Brennan. Director Cullen sent me to find you, to tell you that we both made a mistake. He and I were both given incorrect information by Sweets and Cam, who both had ulterior motives for wanting you removed from the field. Sweets has been fired, and Cam is probably being fired by the Board of the Jeffersonian as we speak. Cullen wants you back in the field as my partner, and so do I. I know this isn't the time or the place, but I have to tell you. I love you. I have almost since the beginning. I can't stand the thought of my life without you in it. Give us a chance; I promise I will spend the rest of my life letting you know how much I respect you and the work you do, and how special you are to me. Please, Bones, can't we just forget this happened and move on?"

"I'm sorry, Agent Booth. What I said still stands. I will never be able to trust you or Cullen again. You were ready to believe that I am unfit to be your partner. That is all I need to know. I will never again put my career in the hands of others. My work has always been the focus of my life, and it will remain so. As far as my personal feelings go, I thought I loved you, as well. For so long I denied my growing feelings for you. Now that will no longer be necessary. I no longer have the time or energy to waste on useless emotion. Now, if you will excuse me, my plane is boarding". With that, Brennan walked away, leaving a devastated Booth behind.

Booth sat in the departure area, stunned at what had just happened. He couldn't believe that he hadn't been able to fix this. How was he going to function without her? She filled his day dreams, and his night dreams. He had fantasized about being with her for so long; it had never occurred to him that they wouldn't end up together one day. As he sat there contemplating his bleak future without her, he didn't even realize there were tears streaming down his face.

As he numbly walked back out to his car, he couldn't even think about where he was going to go. There was no way he could go back to his office in the shape he was in. Almost automatically, he turned the SUV toward the Jeffersonian. Maybe Angela and Jack would have some ideas about what he could do to change things somehow. How, he didn't know. He had never seen Bones so distant or so cold.

As he walked into the Jeffersonian, he was met by a sight that even in his almost catatonic state, shocked him into awareness. Angela and Jack were coming toward him, with boxes of their personal possessions in their arms. "Hey Booth," Angela said softly. "I guess this means you were not able to convince Bren to come back?" "No," he said. "I tried everything I could think of. I even finally told her that I love her, but it didn't matter. She looked at me like I was a total stranger." Angela looked at him sadly, knowing that would be the outcome. Once Brennan had determined a course of action, she would not deviate. "Well," she said, "I guess that is all we can do. I tried my best to convince her to stay, but she was just too devastated. She was the only reason I stayed here, so I am leaving, as well." Looking over at Jack, Booth said "what about you?" Jack shook his head and said "it was hard enough for me to be here without Zack. With Dr. Brennan and Angela gone, there is nothing left for me here anymore. I obviously have enough money to fund any studies that I want to do, so I am going to take some time to figure out where I want my life to go from here." Clapping Booth on the back and hugging Angela, Jack gave them a final wave goodbye as he walked out the door.

Taking Angela's boxes from her hands, Booth walked her out to her car. "What are you going to do now, Angela?" he asked. "I don't really know," she said. "For the past several years, my life has been here. I guess I'm going to take some time to focus on my art and see where that leads me. It's funny; for so long, my life has been intertwined with Brennan's. It feels like a part of my soul is gone. I don't really know what I'm going to do to overcome that. I just know that I can't be here anymore." Looking at her with tears in his eyes, Booth put the boxes in her car, and asked her for the biggest favor he had ever asked of anyone. "Angela, I need to ask you to do something for me. I know this is going to be hard for you, but I need to know where she is and what she is doing. You are one of the few people that I know she will keep in contact with. Will you keep me informed about her? Will you let me know that she is safe and where she is? She is part of me. I don't know how I am going to make it without her, but I know that I can't take not knowing how she is. I realize that this is putting you in a very difficult position, but I'm begging you. Please don't let her shut me totally out of her life."

Angela looked up at Booth with tears streaming down her face. "I don't know, Booth. Bren would take that as yet another betrayal. I don't think I can do that to her. She needs to know that there is someone she can still trust and confide in, even if it is only via e-mails from halfway around the world. You are asking me to risk my relationship with my best friend. Is it really fair of you to ask this of me?"

"Don't you think I know I'm not being fair" Booth growled at her. "This whole situation isn't fair. I can't live not knowing, Angela. I feel like my heart was just ripped right out of my chest, and I don't know that I'm ever going to feel whole again. Please, please do this for me. She doesn't ever need to know that you keep me informed. I won't betray your trust, like I did hers. Please help me, Angela," he sobbed. Looking at the broken man before her, there was no way Angela's romantic heart could let her say no. "Ok, Booth. I'll e-mail you every time I hear from her. I know how much you love her, and how much she loves you. I'll make sure you know how she is, but I won't betray any of her confidences." For the first time in hours, a ghost of a smile crossed his face. "Thanks, Angela. I won't ever forget this. I hope that you find what you are looking for, and know that I will always be here if you need me." With that, Booth turned back to his SUV, and left the Jeffersonian.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: thanks so much to everyone who has taken the time to review this story. Since this is my first attempt at any kind of creative writing, I am grateful for your comments and suggestions. I'm glad so many of you are enjoying the story, and I look forward to seeing where it will go from here!**

Brennan stood slowly; grateful for the chance to stretch the muscles that were screaming in her back from hours spent crouching over yet another set of remains that had been uncovered only that morning. Looking around at the mountains surrounding the valley she had been working in, she wondered at the brutality that lead to so many dead bodies. She and her co-workers had uncovered the remains of over three hundred people. As she looked toward the mountains, she was amazed at the contrast between the beautiful mountain range and the gruesome sight at her feet. She was exhausted…more tired than she could ever remember being. As she gazed down at the bones spread across the tarp laid on the ground at her feet, she was pleased that she had been able to recover the entire skeleton. It would make it easier for her the next day, when she would examine the bones in the makeshift lab on the site. Tomorrow she would take the first steps toward finding the clues left on the bones that would hopefully enable her to identify the victim and arrange for the remains to be returned to the family, finally putting their minds at rest. Taking a moment to stretch her throbbing back in the moonlight, she turned and headed to the showers to remove the grime and sweat from another day.

Since arriving in Argentina, she had thrown herself into her work with a fierce dedication that left her co-workers in amazement. She usually began her days as soon as it was light enough for her to work, and she didn't stop until it grew so dark that she could no longer see to function effectively. Once she finished for the evening, she went directly to the small cabin where she was lucky enough to have a generator to provide her with enough electricity to spend a few hours working on her book, or sending e-mails to the few people she kept in contact with. She didn't socialize with any of the other scientists working the site. She had learned the hard way that opening herself up and allowing others into her life usually ended with heartache and disappointment.

She did still keep in touch with Zack, Angela, Jack and her father. In fact, even though she would not admit it to herself (or anyone else), the highlight of her day was when she found an e-mail waiting for her from one of the people she still allowed herself to care about. Her father had resumed his former career as a teacher, and taught science classes to junior high school students. He loved working with children, and seemed to love the challenge. His e-mails entertained her with his stories about the crazy experiments his students were always talking him into, and she was glad that she hadn't let the tenuous relationship slip away entirely.

Angela and Jack had gotten back together again. Angela said it was inevitable; they had started meeting for drinks every once in awhile, just to keep the connection alive. They both felt such a profound loss at the shattering of their tightly knit team at the Jeffersonian. The first few months had been rough for both of them, and they sought each other out. Soon meeting for drinks became meeting for dinner, and they realized how much they still loved each other. Angela was now living with Jack, and working full time on her art. She recently had a show featuring her work in a Washington gallery, where she received glowing reviews from art critics and buyers alike. It was beginning to look like she could make a living with her original works, and she was finding a passion for her work that had been missing since Brennan left eight months ago.

Jack was also branching out. He had become a profession at Georgetown University, where he was sharing his passion for Entomology with a new generation of scientists. He enjoyed teaching, and his students loved his enthusiasm for his work. He continued to consult with various law enforcement agencies when they had samples to be identified that were beyond the abilities of their own staffs. Since he was no longer funding the Jeffersonian's Medico-Legal Lab, he was able to build himself a state of the art facility on his own property, so he was able to conduct the work from the comfort of his own home. He and Angela also kept in touch with Zack, visiting him every week. Zack had been moved to a private facility, where he was much happier. Brennan and Jack shared the cost of his care, and both made sure that they kept an account funded for him so that he could treat himself to the small luxuries the facility allowed.

In the eight months since she had left her life in Washington behind, Brennan hadn't allowed herself to think of Booth at all, at least in her conscious thoughts. She had received several e-mails from Booth since she arrived in Argentina, all of which she deleted without reading. Once she fell asleep at night, however, her subconscious seemed to have a different idea about the direction her thoughts should take. Her dreams were filled with flashbacks from her time with Booth. More than once she woke gasping from the feel of his touch in her dreams. She dreamed about him touching her in ways he never had in real life. In her dreams, his professions of love would be followed by the feel of his mouth on her skin, and his hands skimming every part of her body. It was a good thing she was so good at compartmentalizing, given the intensity of her physical reactions to him in her dreams. No matter how acutely she responded to him in her dreams, once she was awake she banished all thought of him from her mind with a brutal efficiency.

As she prepared for bed that night, she was glad that she was finally finishing her time at this recovery site. In less than a week, she would be on a plane bound for the next chapter of her life. She had accepted a position at the University of Oregon, where she would head their prestigious Anthropology Department. It was a highly coveted position, and her standing as the foremost Forensic Anthropologist in the country had guaranteed her the job. She had evaluated many offers before deciding to accept this position. She was looking forward to working in a state of the art lab again, and as much as she didn't want to admit it, the thought of a hot shower and a soft, warm bed didn't exactly upset her. It had not escaped the attention of her friends and family that she had picked the position furthest away from Washington DC. Angela would be meeting her when she arrived in Oregon to help her find an apartment and unpack her belongings that were already enroute to her new hometown.

Four days later, Brennan shoved the last of her belongings in her pack, and left the cabin that had been her home for the past eight months for the last time. As she climbed into the jeep to begin the long drive to the airport, she was happy to realize that she was actually looking forward to the future. She would make a new life for herself in Oregon, leaving behind the bittersweet memories of her time at the Jeffersonian.

As she made her way onto the small cargo plane that was to take her back to civilization, she thought about her time in Argentina with great satisfaction. She had personally identified 185 of the bodies they had recovered. She hoped her efforts would help to provide a small measure of peace to their families. She knows only too well what it is like to be left wondering about the fate of people you love, and she was glad that she had been able to help these families in some small way.

As the plane crested the mountains that she had spent so much time admiring, she settled back into her seat and opened the latest draft of her new book to begin the revisions suggested by her publisher. The flight to the nearest airport where she would catch a commercial flight back to the States was expected to take about three hours, so she had plenty of time to catch up on some of the work she had left to finish. About two hours into the flight, she looked up from her manuscript to look at the breathtaking view outside the window. They were flying over a beautiful mountain range, and she appreciated the beauty of the scenery below. As she looked out the window, she noticed the acrid smell of smoke in the air. Within seconds, the cabin started filling with smoke, and the captain yelled back to her that they had lost an engine, and were going in for an emergency landing. Belting herself into the seat, she secured her belongings so they would not fly through the cabin upon impact. Bracing herself for the impact, she wondered if this was the end. Surprisingly, the thought did not upset her. She thought about the way she had lived her life, and the work she had done to help victims and their families. Since she didn't believe in heaven or hell, she knew that death would just be the end. No white lights or burning pits, just nothing. Right about now, nothing didn't seem so bad to her. At least it would stop the thoughts that tormented her mind. As the plane slammed into the ground, she felt her body flying through the plane, still strapped into her seat. She felt the sickening crunch of bones as they shattered as she impacted with the roof of the plane, and knew this was the end. The last thought through her mind as she lost consciousness was for Angela. She hoped that she would get the news of her death before she left Washington. She didn't want her to make the long flight from Oregon for nothing.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: as suggested by one of my wonderful reviewers, I have changed the genre for this story from "drama" to "angst". I didn't start out trying to write such an angst-filled story, but that is the way that it has turned out so far. Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed, and especially to one of my favorite writers, BLC, for your wonderful suggestions.**

Booth took a deep breath, willing himself to calm down. He was still the liaison to the Jeffersonian, and still worked FBI murder cases where the victim's remains were decayed to the point where the skills of a Forensic Anthropologist were required. To say that his relationships with the new staff of the Jeffersonian's Medico-Legal Lab were strained would be an understatement. No longer did he enjoy the comfortable and successful rapport he had with Brennan's team. Booth no longer spent any time at the Jeffersonian. All communications were done via e-mail. The new Forensic Anthropologist refused to go out into the field to collect remains, preferring instead to rely on the FBI's ability to collect evidence and transport the remains to the Jeffersonian. Booth had done his best to train his FBI agents the proper procedures to follow in evidence collection, but the results were not the same. His closure rate had fallen dramatically, and he was constantly frustrated at the lack of response he received from the Jeffersonian. Brennan and her team had always put his cases ahead of their other work, realizing the importance of catching killers and returning victims to their families. The new staff seemed to regard each new case as an intrusion, and provided him with minimal cooperation. His days seemed to drag on forever, and he was beginning to think that it might be time for him to put in a request to transfer to a different department.

Looking up from the enormous stack of paperwork he was trying to wade through, he saw Cullen walking into his office. "Good afternoon, sir" he said. "What can I do for you?" Cullen looked at him for a moment, his eyes taking in the defeated look on the face of his formerly top agent. The past eight months had definitely taken a toll on Booth, and he seemed to have lost the vigor and enthusiasm that had made him so good at his job. Cullen steeled himself for the news he was about to deliver; he knew how devastated Booth had been when Brennan left, and he certainly did not appear to be any closer to getting over it.

"Booth," Cullen said. "I have some news regarding Dr. Brennan. She was traveling through Argentina in a small cargo plane, which has crashed in the mountains. There are search and rescue teams looking for the plane as we speak. The pilot was able to call for help before they crashed, so they have a pretty good idea where to look for the plane. There has been no further contact from the plane, and the area where they are believed to have crashed is desolate. The search and rescue team believes there is not much chance they survived the crash given the terrain in that area. I have requested that they keep me updated, so I will make sure that you are notified if there are any developments."

Booth felt like his world was spinning out of control. He couldn't have moved from his chair at that moment if his office was on fire. Cullen looked at him with concern, noting the ashen color of his face, and the way his hands started to tremble as he gripped the edge of his desk. "Take some time off, Booth. Given your relationship with Dr. Brennan, there is no way you will be able to focus on the tasks at hand. Go see those squints of hers, and lean on each other to get through this. I will contact you immediately as soon as I have any information."

As soon as Cullen left his office, Booth called Angela to give her the news. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he was in shock. His voice when he spoke with Angela didn't even sound like himself. He felt like a ghost; even though he was not the one lost and presumed dead, he felt like the life was slowly being sucked right out of his body. Bones was a part of him, and he felt like a part of him was dying and melting away.

Angela crumbled to the floor at the news. She was preparing to leave for the airport to meet Brennan in Oregon when Booth's call came in. Hodgins came running to her, catching her in his arms as she fell to the floor. Hodgins grabbed the phone from Angela's hand, and Booth gave him the information. "Pack a bag, Booth, and be ready in front of your apartment in an hour. I'll have the Cantilever jet waiting for us. We are going to Argentina, and will take it one step at a time when we get there. The important thing is for us to be ready and waiting just in case we can help. Are you ok to drive yourself home, or do you want me to send someone to pick you up from your office?" asked Hodgins. "I'm fine to drive, Hodgins. Thanks for doing this. I don't think I could stand to just sit here and wait for news. No matter what, I want to be there. I'll be waiting for you in an hour". As Booth hung up the phone, he thanked God for friends with private jets. They may not be able to do anything once they got there, but at least he would be closer to her.

Hodgins and Angela picked Booth up in front of his house, and drove directly to the private airport where the Cantilever Group jet was waiting for them. Within minutes they were airborne and bound for Argentina. They were all lost in their own thoughts, so the entire trip was incredibly silent. Angela and Hodgins sat close together, holding hands and trying to give each other strength for the coming ordeal. No matter what they found, they knew the coming days were going to be extremely difficult. Needing to be alone with his thoughts, Booth sat as far away from them as the seats on the plane allowed. He spent the time remembering his time with Bones; from the investigations to late night take out and time just spent being together. He knew they had a special relationship; he had come to the realization that she was the love of his life, and he was not going to let her go again without a fight. If they were able to find her alive, he was going to make her listen and try to rebuild the friendship that had become such a large part of his life. He prayed for many things during the long flight; to find her alive, the chance to make things right, and the strength to get through the coming days. If the worst happened and she had not survived the crash, then he prayed that she would go to heaven. Even though she doesn't believe in God, she is one of the most caring and passionate people he has ever known. She has spent her life trying to help others, and he has to believe that counts for something when it comes time to face the ultimate judgment. As he sat lost in his memories, he stared out the window wondering what the future held; for him, and for his Bones.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: thanks again to everyone who has reviewed this story. I really do appreciate all of the support, and the suggestions.

Brennan awoke to total silence. She tried to sit up, but realized she couldn't move. Looking down, she noticed that she was still strapped into her seat, which was now lying sideways on the floor of the plane. After some amount of effort, she was finally able to release the seatbelt and roll out of the seat onto the floor. As she sat up, she checked herself for injuries. From the pain in her sides, she reasoned that she had several broken ribs. Trying to move her arms, she realized that her left shoulder had become dislocated. Raising her right hand to her face, she felt a warm, sticky spot on her forehead. The wound was not bleeding heavily, so she determined that the head injury was probably minor. She sniffed the air, trying to see if she could detect the odor of smoke or gasoline. Smelling neither, she concluded that the plane was not in danger of catching on fire or blowing up; always a good thing when you are in a crashed plane! Looking around, she spotted the other passenger lying on the ground several feet away, unconscious. Brennan quickly scanned her body, looking to see if there were obvious injuries she could determine from that distance. The woman's leg seemed to be at a strange angle, suggesting some kind of break at least. From this distance, Brennan couldn't determine if the woman was breathing. Racking her brain, Brennan struggled to remember the woman's name; Cindy…Cathy…Carlie. That was it; her name is Carlie. She was one of the interns working the site with the group from the Ohio State University team.

Gingerly rising from the floor, Brennan gasped from the pain from the broken ribs, and the dislocated shoulder. She knew that she was going to have to realign the arm if she was going to have any function from it at all. Since there was obviously no one around who was in any position to help her, she was going to have to do it herself. Moving toward the doorway separating the cargo area of the plane from the cockpit, she stopped to check on Carlie. She felt a faint pulse, so at least she was still alive. She appeared to have a gash on her side, given the blood stain seeping through Carlie's shirt. The leg was obviously broken, but she could ascertain no other injuries from this cursory examination. She made her way to the cockpit door, and pushed it open. She could see the pilot slumped in his seat. The plane's windshield was gone, leaving gaping holes in the front of the plane. From where she stood, it almost looked like the pilot was sleeping. Approaching the pilot, she noticed a large blood pool on the floor. She put her fingers to his neck to check for a heartbeat. Finding none, she realized that he was already dead. Reaching for the radio, she tried calling for help, but there was nothing but silence. She tried all of the knobs and buttons, but there was no sound at all from the device. The radio was obviously dead.

If she was going to be able to help Carlie and herself, she needed to address her dislocated shoulder. She knew that there was no way she would be able to maneuver the arm enough using just her right hand. She was going to have to find a hard surface that she could use to exert enough force to propel the shoulder back into its socket. Facing the open door to the cockpit, she braced her left side against the wall. She knew how badly this was going to hurt, but there was no time to waste; she and Carlie both needed medical attention, and it looked like she was the only one who was going to be able to help them now. Leaning her left side away from the wall, she steadied herself using her right hand. Using all of the strength she could muster, she took a deep breath and slammed her left shoulder into the wall. She heard the distinct "pop" as the arm found its way back into the socket. The very next sensation was the most extreme pain she had ever felt. The color drained from her face, and her vision dimmed. Everything seemed to look very hazy and distorted as she sank to the ground, losing consciousness once again.

Brennan opened her eyes to find herself on the floor. The pain in her sides was excruciating, but the pain in her left arm was not as bad as it was before. The arm still hung limply from her side, but she was able to move it if she had to. She moved over to Carlie's still unconscious body, checking again for a pulse. She had no idea how long she had been unconscious, but she could tell from the blood soaking through Carlie's clothes that she needed immediate help. Ripping open the shirt, she saw a long, nasty looking gash that was still bleeding. Looking around for something to stop the flow of blood, she found the plane's first aid kit. It was basic at best, but at least it had gauze and bandages. She cleaned the wound the best she could, and applied a basic field dressing. Her dexterity was limited by her almost useless left arm, but she managed to get the bandage tight enough to contain the wound. She figured that the broken leg should be addressed next. Looking around for something to splint Carlie's broken leg; she found some pieces of wood that had broken apart from a crate that had smashed against the wall of the plane during the impact. She managed to pull some shirts from her bag and scissors from her field kit. Cutting the shirts into strips, she moved to Carlie's side. Thankful that Carlie was still unconscious, she grabbed the broken leg with both hands, forcing the broken bone back into alignment. Positioning the boards surrounding the leg, she used the strips of cloth to secure the makeshift splint. If Carlie had woken before she finished splinting the leg, the pain would have been excruciating. She would still be in pain when she awoke, but at least it wouldn't be as bad as it might have been. Checking again, she felt Carlie's still strong pulse. She was beginning to be concerned that Carlie was still unconscious, but didn't know what else to do.

She decided it might be a good idea to take stock of the contents of the plane to see what they had on hand that might be helpful. Since it was a cargo plane, there were supplies on the plane waiting to be delivered to another location. Opening some of the boxes, she found some battery operated lanterns, bottled water, blankets and various containers of food. Brennan couldn't believe her luck; while it was pretty miserable to think about the crash and wonder how in the world they were going to get out of her, at least the necessities of survival would not be a problem for awhile.

Now that she was assured that they would have food, water and shelter, she decided to see if she could find a way out of the plane. The windows all seemed to be intact in the body of the plane. The temperature was dropping quickly, and she was glad that there was no apparent hole in the plane that would let the cold wind in. She looked out the window, and saw they were in a small valley, nestled in between the mountains that surrounded them. She moved to the door, which opened easily. Jumping down into the grass, she had a better opportunity to look around. The valley was beautiful; they had crashed in a field, which was covered in grass and small flowers. Looking around, the field was surrounded by mountains. There didn't appear to be any way out, the field was totally enclosed. Brennan quickly determined that their best chance for rescue was going to be to stay with the plane. With her physical condition, not to mention Carlie' broken leg, there was no way either of them was going to be capable of extensive hiking or mountain climbing. She felt reassured that at least the field was open, so any searching planes would hopefully be able to spot them. Making her way back into the plane, she shut the door to keep out the cold air, and made her way over to Carlie. She stoked the hair off of her face, and felt for her pulse again. Again, it was strong. She wondered why the girl was still unconscious. That couldn't be a good sign. Even though she wasn't sure exactly what the best course of action would be in this situation, she thought it might be time to try to wake her. Then again, the poor girl was going to be in some serious pain when she awoke. Maybe it was kinder to let her rest. Pulling some blankets from the open boxes, she covered Carlie and fashioned a pillow which she put behind her head. It wasn't perfect, but she was as comfortable as she could be given the circumstances. Brennan decided she might as well get some rest, as well. Tomorrow would be soon enough to make a better assessment of the situation and try to figure out a way out of here. The pilot had been able to radio for help before they went down, so someone had to be looking for them, didn't they?


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry it has taken me so long to update. I think I have finally determined a direction for this story, so here is the next chapter. Let me know what you think!**

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing connected to Bones or these characters.**

The jet carrying Jack, Angela and Booth landed at the small airport in Mendoza. The scenery was beautiful, with the Anconcagua Mountains rising dramatically in front of the airport. Jack had gotten them rooms at the small town's best hotel, so they quickly left the airport and headed to the hotel to get settled. As they were driven to the hotel, Jack told them that he had arranged for a private search and rescue team to look for the downed plane. Since the pilot was able to give their coordinates right before the crash, the team was hopeful that they would be able to find the crash site relatively quickly.

After arriving at the hotel, they met with the head of the team searching for the plane. They were using helicopters to fly over the mountains searching for the plane. They were using all of their helicopters and teams to search, since the Andes mountain range encompassed a huge area. They knew that the search could be difficult since there was so much area to cover. Jack's nearly unlimited resources meant that the search and rescue team was fully committed to the rescue effort, so they were hopeful that they would find the plane quickly. The head of the rescue team's name was Carlos Mira. He was an American; a former CIA operative who had become disenchanted with that life. He had moved to Argentina nine years ago, and had undertaken many of these rescue missions in the past. Some ended well, but most ended badly. The Andes Mountains were vast, and the air currents were treacherous. Along with the infrequent plane crashes, they spent their time trying to rescue unlucky climbers trying to reach the top of Anconcagua. Carlos wanted to manage their expectations; while they had many positive things on their side, the chances of finding a small cargo plane in the vast mountain range was still tricky. They were lucky they had the approximate coordinates, but there was still a huge area to cover.

"Mr. Hodges", said Carlos, "I want you to know that we are using all of our resources to find your friend. You need to know that the chances that anyone survived that crash are slim. There are not many areas in these mountains that are large enough or flat enough for a plane to land without sustaining extensive damage. We are doing everything we can to find them quickly, but you really need to know the reality of the situation." Jack, Angela and Booth took his words calmly. They knew enough about the area to know what they were up against. But, there was no way they were going to rest until they had done everything possible to find Brennan. "Mr. Mira", said Booth, "our friend, Dr. Brennan, is a strong, stubborn, extremely capable person. If there is anyone who has the strength to survive in this situation, it is her. We understand the odds are not in our favor, but we will find her and bring her home." Angela looked up at Booth and gave him a soft, sad smile. "Bren is my best friend, Carlos. I can't stand not knowing what happened to her. We have to find her." Looking at the three friends across from him, Carlos thought that this Dr. Brennan was one luck person to have friends who cared about her this much. They flew halfway around the world just to be close to her, and were doing everything in their power to find her. He hoped that him team would be up to the challenge, and give these people closure, one way or another. Deciding it was time to resume his own search efforts, Carlos stood and told them he was leaving to get back into the air. They still had several hours of daylight left, and he wanted to make sure that he didn't waste any of it. As he was preparing to leave, Booth grabbed his arm. "Carlos, I would like to come up with you. I don't know that I will be able to do much to help, but at least it would be another pair of eyes helping you to look. I can't just sit here waiting for news. I would really like to feel like I am doing something to help. May I come with you?" Carlos looked at Booth with compassion in his eyes. This was not an unusual request; family members always wanted to be included in the search efforts, and he always refused their requests to accompany them. They needed to focus their attention to the search, not to babysitting anxious family members. There was something about Booth that made him stop to reconsider his position. Booth's FBI training might come in handy, and he certainly didn't look like the kind of person who was going to get overly emotional and hinder their efforts. Besides, Booth was right when he said that an extra pair of eyes might be useful. Sometimes it was just a flash of color that alerted them to the location of a crash, so they needed all of the help they could get while they were scanning the terrain. Making up his mind, he turned to Booth and said, "well, if you want to come, then we better get going. I don't want to waste another minute of daylight." Telling Jack and Angela goodbye, Booth gratefully followed Carlos out of the hotel and to the helicopter. He was determined that he was going to find Brennan, no matter what.

As Booth and Carlos entered the helicopter, Booth noticed another person already waiting in the pilot's seat. Carlos turned to Booth, and said, "Agent Booth, I would like to introduce you to my partner and our pilot today, my wife, Lucia." Booth held out his hand to Lucia, who was looking at Carlos with surprise. Lucia shook Booth's hand, and turned to her husband. "Well Agent Booth, this is certainly an unusual development. I don't think that I can ever remember a time when Carlos allowed a family member to come with us." Carlos turned to his wife with a smile. "Relax, Lucia. This is Special Agent Seeley Booth from the FBI. He is a friend of Dr. Brennan's, and is a former sniper. I figured that his observational skills might very come in handy on this mission, and I'm confident that Agent Booth will be able to handle himself." Lucia turned to Booth with a laugh. "Well then, let's get this bird up in the air and see what we can find. We should be able to make it over to the search area in about 45 minutes. We have three other teams searching the area now, so we will hopefully find something soon." With that, they took off, rising quickly into the sky.

Booth spent the next 45 minutes looking out the window at the beautiful mountains below. He had to laugh listening to Carlos and Lucia bickering in the front seats. They sounded a lot like him and Bones back when they were a team. It couldn't help but make him a little sad to hear their comfortable camaraderie. It made him think about Bones, and how much he still misses her. He would give anything to have things go back to the way they were before she left. He had lost his partner and the team that helped him to become such a successful agent. More importantly, he had lost his best friend, and the woman he now realized he always thought he would spend the rest of his life with. He didn't know when he had started to think like that. When she left, he was forced to really think about their relationship. He had taken her and their relationship for granted. He had never doubted that they would always remain partners, in one way or another. It was a real shock when she was gone. He had to deal with the fact that she would no longer be a part of his life, and he couldn't stand the thought of living his life without her. As they neared the search area, he prayed that they would find her alive. He would do whatever it took to help her recover from this, and to get her back in his life.

They spent the next several hours searching for the plane, with no success. Lucia finally decided that they had to turn back to Mendoza for the night, since daylight was fading, and they were running low on fuel. Booth was bitterly disappointed that they hadn't found anything. He knew he wasn't being reasonable; the search area was enormous, and they were doing everything they could. He hated the thought of an injured Bones out there alone somewhere, hurt, scared and cold. He felt incredibly guilty at the thought of going back to a luxurious hotel while she was out there still. But, there was nothing more he could do. They would start fresh first thing in the morning, and he prayed that they would find her soon.

When they landed in Mendoza, Jack and Angela were waiting for them. They were maintaining radio contact with the team, so they knew that they hadn't found anything today. When Booth, Carlos and Lucia stepped out of the helicopter, Booth made introductions all around. Jack and Angela had made reservations for dinner in the hotel's dining room, and they asked Carlos and Lucia to join them for dinner.

Dinner was surprisingly relaxed and fun. Lucia and Carlos entertained the three friends with tales of their rescues; and Booth, Angela and Jack told them stories about their days working with the FBI and the Jeffersonian. They told them about the killers they caught, and the crazy experiments they did. Carlos and Lucia were amazed by the comfortable bond between the FBI agent, the artist and the scientist. These three people were so different, yet maintained such a close and warm friendship. The way they spoke about Dr. Brennan made Carlos and Lucia even more determined to find her. This woman must be someone very special to have earned such respect and affection, and the stories they told about her dedication to helping the families of their victims made them even more committed to finding her.

After dinner, Booth, Angela and Hodgins decided to call it a night. They went back to their rooms to try to get some rest; tomorrow was going to be a busy day, and they wanted to get started with the search at first light to make sure that they didn't waste a minute of precious daylight.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing connected to Bones or these characters.**

Brennan awoke the next morning in pain. She had shifted during the night, and was resting too much of her weight on her broken ribs. She rolled over, wincing as her injured arm brushed against the ground. She had fashioned a bed out of some blankets and tarps she found in the plane, but it was far from comfortable. Plus, the temperature had dropped dramatically during the night, so she was freezing.

She sat up, looking immediately towards Carlie. To her surprise, Carlie was sitting up and looking over at her with a smile on her face. "Good morning, Dr. Brennan", said Carlie. "I wanted to thank you for looking after me while I was unconscious. I can see from the splint on my leg and the bandage on my side that I owe you for taking such good care of me, and setting my broken bone before I woke up. I can't even imagine how much pain I would have been in had you done that while I was conscious". Brennan looked at her in surprise. How could she be so calm, and carry on such a normal sounding conversation given the circumstances? She was immediately impressed at Carlie's ability to deal with such a stressful situation. Smiling at Carlie, she said, "I am very glad to see you awake. I was starting to become concerned that you hadn't regained consciousness last night, when I finally decided to wait until this morning to try to wake you. I knew that you were bound to be in a lot of pain, so I was hoping to spare you that for as long as possible. We seem to be fairly well stocked with food and water. The menu may be limited, but let's see what we can find to help us keep our strength up." Brennan got up and moved over to the crates containing the food and water. She brought Carlie a couple of bottles of water, and some packets of dried fruit and granola bars she had found last night. Retrieving a similar assortment for herself, she sat down by Carlie's side to check her bandaged side and broken leg, and then to share their makeshift breakfast.

Brennan explained their situation, and told her about the death of the pilot. They decided that they would search the plane when they finished breakfast to see what supplies they had available to them. Carlie quickly agreed that their best bet was to stay with the plane, given their physical conditions. They would also need to see if they could manage to remove the pilot's body from the plane. Even though they were able to keep the door between them and the cockpit closed, the smell of decomposition was still drifting back into the plane, and it was only going to become more unpleasant as the sun warmed the interior of the plane.

Brennan found a couple of pieces of wood in the plane that she was able to fashion into makeshift crutches for Carlie. She hoped that Carlie wouldn't have to move much, since her leg and side were both causing her a considerable amount of pain. Carlie was able to stand and move about awkwardly with the use of the crutches, but was obviously not going to be able to move far. Brennan and Carlie managed to drag the body of the poor pilot through the plane. Brennan opened the door, and they were able to shove the body out of the plane. Luckily, the pilot was a fairly small man, so Brennan was able to drag him away from the plane far enough so that the smell wouldn't be overwhelming to them. She and Carlie searched the plane, and found several bright yellow tarps. Brennan dragged the tarps out into the middle of the field and stretched them out as well as she could. She used rocks she found in the meadow to weight the corners so they wouldn't blow away. She hoped that they would be bright enough to be seen by searching planes.

Brennan couldn't think of anything else they could do to make themselves more noticeable, so she climbed back into the plane to check on Carlie. Grabbing a couple of bottles of water, she went over and sat down next to Carlie again. They started talking, and soon were telling each other the stories of their lives. Brennan was surprised; she found herself telling Carlie all about her life. She told her about her parents leaving, being in the foster system, and working with the Jeffersonian. She told her about why she left Washington, and her plans to relocate to Oregon. Carlie told her about her childhood and family, and then about her decision to become a Forensic Anthropologist. She was enjoying her graduate work, and looked forward to continuing her chosen profession. Brennan was impressed; she saw in Carlie many of the same qualities she recognized in herself when she was in grad school. She was determined that they were going to get out of this situation, so they could both continue their important work.

All of a sudden, Brennan heard the unmistakable sound of a helicopter flying overhead. Jumping up from the floor of the plane, she flew out of the door and into the center of the meadow. Seeing the helicopter above her, she waved her arms frantically, hoping desperately that she would be seen. Suddenly, the helicopter started to descend toward her. She couldn't believe it – they saw her! She sank to her knees, sobbing hysterically. She hadn't realized how scared she had been until this minute. They had found them, and they were going to be rescued. She sobbed out her thanks for having been spotted. She didn't exactly know who she was thanking, since she still didn't believe in God, but she was thankful, just the same.

As the helicopter landed, she composed herself and ran to the door of the plane where Carlie was waiting. She couldn't help her down out of the plane because of Carlie's broken leg, so she waited there with her until the search crew approached them. They helped Carlie and Brennan into the helicopter, and they were airborne within minutes. The two women hugged each other, crying and laughing at the same time. They were going to make it!

The pilot radioed ahead to let the rest of the team know that the search was over, and the two occupants of the plane had been rescued alive. When they landed in Mendoza, there was a crowd waiting for them. They were taken off of the helicopter, and immediately placed into an ambulance and transported to the hospital. There was such chaos around them when they landed that Brennan never saw the three people struggling to get to her before she was whisked away in the ambulance.

Brennan and Carlie were rushed into the emergency room, where they were separated. Brennan was taken into an examination room, where the cut on her forehead was stitched and bandaged, her shoulder was examined and put into a sling and her broken ribs were taped tightly. The pain was incredible, but there seemed to be no other damage. She had limited the damage to her arm by relocating the shoulder herself, and keeping the arm immobilized as much as she could while she was still in the plane. They decided to keep her overnight just to make sure that there were no additional complications, and she was moved into a private room.

Once she was settled in her room, the nurse asked her if she was up to seeing visitors. Thinking that it was someone from the rescue party, she agreed. She really wanted to thank the people who had worked so hard to find her and Carlie. As she looked toward the door with a welcoming smile on her face, she was overjoyed to see Angela and Hodgins walk through the door. "Ange! How…what are you doing here? Hodgins! I am so happy to see you both!" Brennan could barely contain her excitement at seeing her old friends. Angela ran to the bed and grabbed Brennan in a fierce hug. "Bren, I am so happy to see you!" Angela cried. There were tears streaming down her face, and she was laughing and crying all at the same time. Hodgins came over to the bed to give her a hug, and he wasn't much better. Tears were running down his face, as well, and he took her face in his hands staring at her like he couldn't believe he was actually looking at her. "I'm so glad you are ok, Dr. Brennan. We were so worried about you!" Brennan was also laughing and crying at the same time. "I don't understand," she said. "What are you two doing here? How did you know I was in trouble?"

Jack and Angela looked at each other for a moment, with a stricken look on their faces. Angela pulled up a chair next to the bed, and took Brennan's hand in hers. "Sweetie," she said, "Booth was informed about the crash by Cullen, and he called us. Jack hired a private search team to find you, and we flew out here to be with you. There is something else; Booth is with us. We got here yesterday, and Booth went out with the search team to help find you. He is right outside the door, waiting to see you. Please, give him a chance. Just talk to him. Let him apologize; listen to what he has to say. He dropped everything to come help you. Please, can he come in?"

As Brennan listened to Angela, her demeanor changed from happiness at seeing her old friends to more serious and composed. "Certainly," she said. Turning toward the door, she called out, "Booth, you can come in now." Steeling herself for the emotions she knew would come when she saw him, Brennan waited for him to come through the door. Taking a deep breath, Booth straightened his shoulders and walked into the room.

Rushing over to the side of her bed, Booth took her other hand in his and said, "Bones! How are you? Are you really ok? Do you need anything? Are you in pain?" Booth stopped himself to take a breath. He was so happy to see her that he was practically hyperventilating. He was so caught up in the moment that he didn't even think about the way they left their relationship. He was just so happy to see her that he couldn't even think about anything else. He looked at her with a huge smile on his face, praying that she really was ok.

Brennan looked up at Booth for a moment, trying to figure out how to respond to him. While she was glad to see him, she had still not forgotten what he had done to her. She thought about it for a minute, and realized she couldn't forgive him. He had called her professionalism and abilities into question, and forced her to leave a job and a life that she loved behind. "Booth," she said, "Thank you for your concern, but I am fine. My injuries are minor, considering the circumstances, and I am sure that I will make a full recovery."

Turning back to Angela and Hodgins, she smiled again. "Ange, would you mind doing me a favor?" she asked. "There was another passenger on the plane with me; a young grad student named Carlie. Her injuries are more serious than mine. Would you mind finding out how she is doing for me? You can take Booth with you. I would like to have a moment to speak with Jack while you are gone." Angela looked from her friend to Booth. Brennan looked calm and detached, as always. Booth, on the other hand, looked like he was in shock. He didn't know what he expected, but her calm, detached dismissal of him was certainly not it. He realized that he thought that due to the extreme circumstances, Brennan would be happy to see him. While obviously that was not the case, Booth made up his mind right then and there that he was going to fix this. He was going to get his Bones back, if it was the last thing he did. He had almost lost her permanently this time, and he wasn't going to let this second chance pass him by. He would humor her for now, but he knew he would be able to make her forgive him. At least he hoped so. He and Angela left the room, searching for Carlie.

Brennan looked up at Jack, unable to believe her former employee had done all of this for her. "Jack", she said, "How can I even thank you for this? The search and rescue teams here are stretched very thin, and I doubt they would have been able to spare the manpower to find us. I will pay you back for all of your expenses. I just don't know how I can thank you for doing this for me; you saved my life!" Jack smiled as he looked over at her. "Dr. Brennan, I think we are even. You saved my life when we were buried by the Gravedigger. You know I have more money than I could ever possibly spend. I can't think of anything I would rather do with my money than keep the people I love safe. You are family to Angela and me, and there isn't anything we wouldn't do for you. You owe me nothing. I consider it an honor to be able to help you."

Brennan looked at him with tears in her eyes. "Jack, don't you think it is time that you stopped calling me Dr. Brennan? My name is Temperance, Tempe, Brennan….take your pick." Jack laughed, taking her hand in his. "I think I can do that, Tempe." As they smiled at each other, Brennan thought about how lucky she was to have such good friends. "I really don't know what I would do without you and Angela," she said. "You two are my closest friends, and I love you both."

Before they could get any more sentimental, Angela and Booth returned to the room. "We found Carlie," said Angela. "She has a broken leg, and a nasty cut on her side. Apparently there is some internal bleeding from the wound on her side, so they are taking her into surgery shortly. The doctor told me that you saved her life by stopping the blood loss from her wound, and you did such a good job in setting her leg that she should recover full use of it. She is one lucky girl to have been in a plane crash with you! She asked me to thank you again for taking such good care of her. Her family is on their way, and should be here with her by tomorrow. I told her that you would come see her once she is out of surgery." "Thanks, Ange," said Brennan. I am so glad to know that she is going to be ok. I really like that girl. She reminds me a lot of me when I was just starting out. I would like to see what I can do to help her once we get back home."

"Speaking of getting back home," Angela said, "I want to talk with you about that. You are in no condition to be by yourself in Oregon right now. I'm calling the University and telling them that you are going to take some time to recover before you start your new job. You are coming home with Hodgins and me so that I can take care of you and help you recover." Seeing the stubborn look coming into her friend's eyes, Angela continued. "I am not taking no for an answer on this, Bren. I flew halfway around the world to come find you, and I'm not letting you go that quickly. You are coming home with me, and that is final." Brennan looked at her in surprise. It was unlike Angela to speak so forcefully. She had to admit, it would be nice to just relax and spend some time with her friends. She had done a lot of thinking while she was waiting to be rescued, and she realized how much she loved her friends. Plus, she owed them after everything they had done for her. "Ok, Angela. You win. I will come home with you. The semester doesn't start for another two months, so I have some time. I would love to come stay with you for a little while".

Angela, Jack and Booth all looked at her with the same shock on their faces. They couldn't believe that she had given in so quickly, without a fight. Angela smiled, looking at her friend. She loved Brennan like a sister, and was so happy that she had agreed to come stay with them. Angela, being Angela, hoped that once Brennan was back in DC she would be forced to remember the great life she had there, and maybe she could convince her to stay. Angela had heard about the dysfunctional new staff at the Jeffersonian, and knew that Dr. Goodman would welcome her back with open arms. And, just maybe, she could convince her to give Booth another chance. It was painfully obvious that Booth now fully realized how much he loved her, and Angela thought that the reason that Brennan was so hurt by Booth's actions was an indication of how deep her feelings for him ran, as well. Angela had great faith in her ability to bring people together. If there was any possibility of repairing the damage done to Brennan and Booth's relationship, Angela was going to make damned sure that she did everything she could to make it right again.

Just then, the nurse walked into the room. Looking around at the people surrounding her patient's bed, she said, "I'm sorry, but visiting hours are over, so I'm going to have to ask you to leave so that Dr. Brennan can get some rest." "That's ok," said Jack. "We will go back to the hotel, and come back first thing in the morning to pick you up." Brennan looked at him with gratitude. "Thanks, guys. I am pretty tired, so I could use some rest. I can't wait to get out of here, so come back early!" Jack and Angela laughed as they said their goodbyes. They walked out the door, leaving Booth in the room. Booth looked down at Brennan and said, "I know that you still hate me for what happened, but I thought the decisions we made at the time were the right ones. I only wanted to keep you safe, and give you time to process everything that had happened before you went back into the field. I honestly never meant to question your abilities. You are an incredibly talented, dedicated and exceptional scientist, and your professional capabilities were never in question. I love you, Temperance, and I'm not going anywhere. I almost lost you, and it made me realize how much you mean to me. I will spend the rest of my life making this up to you, and earning back your trust. I know you don't want to hear this right now, but I'm not giving up on us. I need you in my life." Leaning over the bed, he gently kissed her on the forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow." As he walked out the door, he turned to look back at her. She was staring down at the bed. He couldn't tell what she was thinking, but at least she hadn't punched him when he kissed her. He left the hospital with Angela and Hodgins, feeling a little better about things. She was physically ok, and he felt more optimistic that they might be able to repair at least some of the damage that had been done. He knew that was going to be easier said than done. She had been betrayed so many times by people that she loved, and he knew he had been one more person to let her down. He would make her see how much he loved her. He couldn't lose her again.


	9. Author's Note

It has just been called to my attention that my story is a little difficult to read since I didn't realize that I need to split dialogue between different characters into separate paragraphs. For those of you who have found it difficult to read, I'm really sorry. This is my first time trying any creative writing, so I didn't realize. I will try to do better with the rest of the chapters. Thanks so much to lunadea21 for the constructive criticism, and to everyone else who has reviewed this story. I really do appreciate the help. I promise to try to make future chapters better!


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing connected to Bones or these characters.**

Brennan awoke in the hospital feeling surprisingly refreshed. She had slept well, with none of her usual upsetting dreams. She looked forward to leaving the hospital today, and seeing her friends. She was not looking forward to seeing Booth. She had felt awkward and uncomfortable after he left last night, and she was not happy about the thought of having to spend more time with him. Why couldn't he understand that she really didn't want him in her life? She had made her position perfectly clear. She didn't want to hurt him. They had been friends, and he had been there for her during some really difficult times in her life. She was devastated when he, Cullen, Sweets and Cam had gotten together behind her back to betray her. Did he really think that she would just forgive and forget? How could he not know that the damage he had done was irreversible?

Putting these thoughts aside, she got out of bed, and put on the robe she found on the back of the door. Walking into the hall, she headed over to the nurse's station to find out where Carlie's room was. She really wanted to see her to make sure that her surgery had gone well. The nurse pointed her towards Carlie's room, and Brennan went to see her new friend.

Carlie was sitting up in bed watching TV. "Dr. Brennan," she said, "I'm so glad to see you! The doctors told me I would probably not have survived without your help. I'm so grateful."

Brennan smiled looking at Carlie. Sitting in a chair next to the bed, Brennan was pleased to see that Carlie looked good. Her leg had been set in a real cast this time, and she looked much better. Color had returned to her face, and she knew she was going to come out of this just fine.

"When is your family arriving?" she asked. "My friends told me that your parents are flying in today. I imagine you are looking forward to seeing them?"

"Oh, yes," said Carlie. "I am very close to my parents, and I can't wait for them to arrive. I know they are going to want to meet you. They are big fans of yours; my mother has read all of your books. When I told them that you were with me in the crash, my Mom was so excited! I know you are being discharged today. Do you think you might be able to come back sometime this afternoon to meet them? They are supposed to be here around lunch time."

Brennan smiled at Carlie, and said, "Of course I will come back to meet them. I would love to meet the people who raised such an intelligent and capable daughter! Now I am going to go so that you can get some rest before they arrive, and I need to get myself ready to be discharged. I will see you later this afternoon."

As Brennan headed back to her own room, she looked forward to being discharged. She looked around for her clothes, but couldn't find them. She went back to the nurses' station, where she found out that her clothes were so badly damaged that they had been thrown away. That was just great. Here she was, in a strange country, with her luggage still in the wreckage of the plane. Oh well, she was just going to have to go to the hotel in her gown and bathrobe. Hopefully they would have a gift shop where she could buy something to wear. She was certain that once they were back in Washington, Angela would be more than happy to take her shopping.

As she returned to her room, she found Angela and Jack waiting for her. Given her fondness for clothes, Angela had anticipated that Brennan wouldn't have anything to wear, so she had brought her something to wear. Taking the clothes gratefully, Brennan went into the bathroom to change.

She took a quick shower and put on the fresh clothes. She was amazed at how much better she felt. She felt almost normal! It was shocking to feel this good so soon after the horrible experience she had been through. When she came back into the room, she found the discharge papers waiting for her on the bed. She completed the forms, and waited for the nurse to return. She wasn't too happy that they insisted that she ride out of the hospital in a wheelchair, but it was a small price to pay for her freedom.

Jack had a cab waiting to take them to the hotel, which was only minutes away. They had gotten a room for her, so she was able to go right upstairs to relax. She ordered a bottle of wine from room service, and drew a nice, hot bath. She deserved a little pampering after everything she had gone through. She could feel the tension slipping from her as she sipped her wine and relaxed. She was starting to get some perspective on her current situation, and realized that she was glad she had agreed to go back to Washington with Angela and Jack. She would deal with the Booth situation in time, but for now, she was just grateful to be reunited with her friends. She would enjoy spending some time reconnecting with Angela and Jack before she started her new job. She was also looking forward to visiting Zach and her father. It would be so good to see them again!

She reluctantly left the tub, and walked into the bedroom to get dressed. Opening the wardrobe, she found several outfits waiting for. Angela had obviously wanted to make sure that she recovered in style. Getting dressed, she called Angela to see if she and Jack wanted to go with her to visit Carlie and her family. Jack was napping, but Angela said that she would go with her. Several minutes later, Brennan opened the door to a smiling Angela.

"Ohh, is that wine I see?" asked Angela. "We have time for a quick glass before we go back to the hospital. Why don't you tell me about all of your advertures?"

Brennan laughed, and poured a glass for Angela. "Well," she said, "You already know all of the high points. I still can't believe everything worked out so well for both Carlie and me. I feel so badly that the pilot died. He was a real hero, managing to land the plane without killing all of us. I'm just so sorry that he lost his life. I really wish I had been able to do more for him than just dragging him out of the plane."

"Don't worry, Sweetie," Angela said. "That is why Jack was so tired today. He made arrangements for the search and rescue team to go back to the crash site to recover the body of the pilot so that he could be returned to his family. They are also going to search the plane to find your personal items so they can be returned to you and Carlie. They will bring whatever they find to you tonight. Once you tell them what is yours and what is Carlie's, they will take Carlie's things to her at the hospital."

"Oh, Ange," said Brennan, "You and Jack have thought of everything. I don't know how I am ever going to be able to repay you both for everything you have done for me." With tears in her eyes, Brennan looked at her best friend. "What did I ever do to deserve you two"?

Angela looked at Brennan and laughed, "Just remember that thought when I am dragging you all over Washington on one of my world famous shopping trips. Not to mention, all of the "girls nights in" we are going to have while I force feed you ice cream, make you watch girlie movies, and make you talk about your feelings."

Laughing, Brennan looked with fondness at her best friend. "While that sounds like my idea of absolute torture, I shall do my best to be "girle" enough for you. Don't even think about trying to paint my toenails, though. I have to draw the line somewhere!"

The two friends finished their wine, laughing. They decided they should go back to the hospital to meet Carlie and her family, so they walked out of the hotel and hailed a cab. Within minutes, they were back at the hospital. Walking up to Carlie's room, they could hear excited voices coming from the room. As they walked in, Brennan was immediately hugged by a large, friendly looking woman.

"Dr. Brennan, you're really here! We can't thank you enough for taking such good care of our little girl. I can't believe I'm actually meeting Dr. Temperance Brennan! I love your books. I have read all of them, and can't wait for your next one to come out. Oh, I'm Molly, by the way, and this is my husband, Sam."

Backing away from the overly effusive woman, Brennan smiled and said, "It's a pleasure meeting you. I was happy to offer whatever assistance to Carlie that I could. The person you really need to thank is my friend, Angela. She and her boyfriend, Jack, flew out from Washington when they heard about the crash, and hired a private search and rescue team to find us. They are the heroes in this story."

Molly turned her attention to Angela, who soon found herself engulfed in the woman's arms. "Angela," she said. "I can't thank you and your boyfriend enough for finding our daughter. She could have died without your help. The doctors said that the internal bleeding was beginning to become very serious, and she would have died without immediate medical attention. Thank you so much for bringing her back to us."

Wiping the tears from her eyes, the ever sentimental Angela hugged Molly tightly. "We were happy to help. I'm just so glad that everything turned out so well for both Carlie and Bren."

After chatting with Carlie and her parents for a few more minutes, Brennan and Angela prepared to leave. Brennan and Carlie exchanged phone numbers, and promised to keep in touch.

Returning to the hotel, Brennan and Angela went to Angela and Jack's room. They found Jack just hanging up the phone. "Hello, ladies. Did you have a nice visit with Carlie and her family?" asked Jack.

"We did. Carlie's mother was a bit much to take. I'm not used to such intense hugging from a stranger." Brennan said. "I know that they were relieved to find Carlie doing so well. You and Angela saved Carlie and her family, too, Jack. They asked us to tell you how much they appreciate what you did for them."

Jack looked a little embarrassed at everyone making such a big fuss over him. "Look, Tempe. Like I told you yesterday; we're even now. That's enough of all of this sentimental stuff! I have the Cantilever jet waiting to take us home, but I thought we might stay here one more night. I wanted to do something to thank the rescue teams that worked so hard to find you, so I thought I would host a dinner party tonight to say thank you. What do you think? Are you up to meeting everyone tonight?"

Brennan looked at him smiling. "I think that is a wonderful idea, Jack. I would love to have the chance to thank them. Carlie wouldn't have lasted too much longer without medical attention. And I'm sure I would not have done too well for too much longer, either. I'm looking forward to it."

Looking at Brennan, Angela said, "You know that Booth is going to be there, right? I know you don't want to deal with this, but you really need to talk to him. He has been a wreck since you left. He honestly didn't mean to hurt you. He was misled by Sweets and Cam. He loves you, and you love him. You need to give him another chance."

Brennan's expression changed upon hearing Booth's name. "I really don't want to deal with this right now. My emotions are still raw from the crash, and I'm still very angry at Booth. He knew me well enough to know that I was still fully capable of doing my job, no matter what personal things I had been going through. Angela, you just don't understand. I _am_ my job. It is all I have. I don't have normal family relationships. I don't have normal romantic relationships. I am defined by what I do, and how well I do it. Booth never should have listened to Cam and Sweets. He knew that Cam and I had a difficult relationship, and she wanted me to leave the Jeffersonian. He never trusted Sweets. How could he have listened to them? How could he have taken such a drastic step without talking to me about it? How am I supposed to forgive that?"

Angela looked at her friend sadly. "I know how you feel, Bren. I couldn't believe what happened, myself. Booth made a mistake. Don't make him pay for it forever. We all make mistakes. I'm not saying you have to forgive him today, just don't shut him out of your life forever."

"I'll think about it, Angela. Just don't expect too much from me, too soon. You know me, and you know how I process things. I honestly don't think I could ever trust him again. I have enough people in my life that I can't trust. I don't see any reason to add one more. I promise to think about it, but I really don't think that I'm going to change my mind. I'll be civil to him, but don't expect things to go back to the way they were. That time is gone."

Angela knew when to leave it alone, so they dropped the subject. Brennan headed back to her room to take a shower and get ready for dinner. As difficult as the day had been, she was looking forward to having the opportunity to thank the search and rescue team. If she had to put up with Booth being there, then she would. She was not going to make the evening difficult or uncomfortable. She just hoped that Booth would do the same.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing connected to Bones or these characters.**

Brennan, Jack and Angela walked into the hotel's private dining room to find Booth and the 12 members of the search and rescue team waiting for them. One large round table had been set for them, so everyone was able to converse easily around the table. Once drinks had arrived, Brennan stood to address the group, glass in hand. Taking a deep breath, she looked around the table. "For those of you who don't know me, I am Dr. Temperance Brennan. I would like to thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart for your part in rescuing me and my friend, Carlie. I know how vast the search area was, and how difficult it must have been to find us. Jack, Angela and Booth came all the way from Washington to help with the search. I know what busy lives you lead, and I appreciate you dropping everything to come to my aid. Jack and Angela hired this incredible team to search for me. I feel extremely lucky to have friends like you in my life."

"To the members of the search and rescue team: I sincerely appreciate your skill and dedication to your work. Carlie and I are alive and well today thanks to you, and I want you all to know that I will never forget what you have done for me. I would like to propose a toast: here's to friends, old and new. I don't believe in luck, but I wish for each of you that someday your selfless dedication and good works be returned to you."

As Brennan returned to her seat, Jack took the opportunity to stand to offer his own toast. "Here's to Dr. Brennan. She brought us all together and has enriched our lives. Dr. Brennan, please try to stay out of trouble, at least for awhile. I don't think my heart can take much more!"

As the entire table erupted in laughter, Jack sat down, smiling. The rest of the meal was spent with more stories passed around the table, from the searchers and the friends. Booth was silent all evening, but his eyes remained focused on Brennan the whole time. It made Brennan a little nervous every time she noticed his gaze, but she was able to ignore him without it being too uncomfortable. There was so much conversation and laughter around the table that the tension between Booth and Brennan was not obvious.

While waiting for dessert to be served, Brennan excused herself from the table to visit the ladies room, where she found Lucia washing her hands. "Lucia," said Brennan. "It has been a real pleasure meeting you and the members of your team. You and Carlos have certainly created a great team."

Lucia looked at Brennan with a smile. "Yes, we have been very lucky. We have an incredible success rate with our rescues, and it makes us feel like we are doing something worthwhile with our lives. We are all so glad to be able to add your rescue to our list of successes. It's not every day that we get to find a world famous author! Thank you, by the way, for including us all in this evening. It is not often that the entire team gets to come together like this. It is very nice for us all to be able to spend time together without the pressure of a rescue hanging over our heads."

Brennan laughed. "I know exactly what you mean. When I worked at the Jeffersonian, I spent almost all of my time with my friends, but it seemed like there was very little time when we could just relax and enjoy each other's company. There always seemed to be a new case we were working on, or paperwork to be done."

Lucia noticed that Brennan seemed almost wistful when she spoke about her time at the Jeffersonian. "Do you miss working there? I understand from your friends that you had been working here for many months, and that you were on your way to a new position before the crash. I would imagine it is going to be very difficult for you to leave all of that behind when you start your new job."

"I do miss the Jeffersonian. My team all became very close, as you have seen. We became "family" to each other, and I miss having them all in my life every day. We all forged a very close connection, and it is going to be difficult for me to adjust to a new working environment. But, the work is what matters. I will be able to continue my work in bringing the dead back to their families, and helping to put murderers behind bars. That is what really matters to me, and why I became a Forensic Anthropologist in the first place."

Lucia couldn't help herself, she just had to ask. "What about Agent Booth? Carlos and I spent some time with him while we were looking for you. From the way he spoke about you, and the fact that he hasn't been able to take his eyes off of you all night, it is obvious that man cares about you deeply. What is the story between you two? I know this is none of my business, but I'm curious."

Brennan looked at Lucia for a moment before responding. "You are right, it is none of your business. But, given the fact that you saved my life, I guess I will let that slide." She smiled at Lucia to take the sting out of her words. "My relationship with Booth is complicated. We were very close; best friends, even. Booth made a decision that resulted in my leaving the Jeffersonian and destroying my team. I can't forgive him for that. Booth has said that he has feelings for me that go beyond friendship, but I don't think I can get past what happened enough to give any kind of relationship with him a chance. It is a very difficult situation for me, given the strength of our friendship before. I feel an overwhelming sense of betrayal from his actions. Being around him is hard for me. To be honest, I am looking forward to moving across the country so that I won't have to see him again. That is a chapter of my life that I am eager to close. It is time to move on and begin a new life for me."

Brennan was surprised she had opened up to Lucia and given her so much information. It was unlike her to speak so freely to a stranger. She guessed that she felt some sort of bond with her since she and Carlos led the team that rescued her. She smiled at Lucia and said, "I guess we should get back to the party; they may decide to mount another rescue effort to come find us!"

Laughing, the two ladies made their way back to the group. The rest of the evening was enjoyable for everyone, and they were all sorry when the party came to an end. Everyone was tired. It had been a long day, and Brennan, Angela, Jack and Booth all had a long flight planned for the next day. They intended to get an early start to head back to Washington.

Jack and Angela walked Brennan to her room, and made plans to meet in the dining room for an early breakfast before heading to the airport. Brennan was glad the evening had come to an end. She was looking forward to relaxing in a nice, hot bath, and then getting to bed early. She was exhausted. She was also not really looking forward to getting back on another plane, but it couldn't be helped. Like they said, when you fall off a horse, the best remedy is to get right back on. The longer you let your fear keep you from doing something, the more you became afraid of it. There was no way she was going to stop flying, given the distant locations of the digs she loved to work on. As she crawled into the big, soft bed, she looked forward to the coming day. I would be nice to be back in Washington for a little while. She was looking forward to seeing her friends and family, and to a little time off. She fell asleep thinking about how lucky she was to have such great friends, and excited about the future.

Booth, on the other hand, was not so content when he returned to his room. He had hoped to be able to speak with Brennan during the dinner, but she had positioned herself as far away from him as she could get. He didn't even get the chance to speak with her directly once all night. He had spent the whole evening staring at her beautiful face, thankful that she was alive and well. He was thrilled that she would be returning to Washington with them for a few weeks. It would give him the time he needed to be able to try to reach her and begin to try to break down the walls that she had so successfully placed between them again. He sighed, thinking about how had he had worked in the past to get her to open up to him. It had been a long, difficult process, and he wasn't looking forward to having to do it again. It was going to be even worse this time, since she now seemed to hate him for what he had done.

He didn't know how he was going to manage to get her to spend any time with him so that he could begin his campaign to regain her trust. He knew that Angela and Jack were on his side, so he was hopeful that he could count on them to help him. Brennan was incredibly stubborn, so he knew that it was going to be very difficult to get her to really talk to him. They would have the long flight tomorrow, so maybe he would be able to speak with her then. He finally fell asleep, hopeful that tomorrow would be a better day.

They all met for breakfast, with their bags already packed. They checked out of the hotel, and headed to the airport to begin the long flight home. They boarded the plane and settled into the comfortable seats. Angela and Jack were sitting together, and Brennan chose a seat that was as far away from Booth as she could get. Once they were airborne, Booth moved over into the seat next to her. Brennan looked up from the journal she was reading as he settled in. Deciding it would be childish to get up and move, she looked back down at the journal and tried to concentrate on the words in front of her.

Booth wasn't letting her get off that easily. "Bo…Dr. Brennan. I would really like to have a chance to explain what happened eight months ago. Please, give me the chance to tell you my side of this story."

Closing the journal and setting it into her lap, Brennan looked over at Booth. "I have made my position perfectly clear, Booth. I really don't want to talk about this again, but go ahead. I'm listening."

Booth hadn't really expected her to agree to hear him out. He took a deep breath, and looked her straight in the eyes. "Sweets called a meeting with Cullen, Cam and me to discuss the recent events at the Jeffersonian. I wondered why you weren't there, but Sweets said that we needed to talk about everything you had been through and to come up with a way to help you process everything. He said that you were showing classic signs of stress and distraction after my "death", and the situation with Zach. He said that you were having a difficult time dealing with everything, and that your distraction could lead to trouble with you being in the field. I was afraid that you might get yourself hurt if you weren't totally focused, and I just wanted to keep you safe. I knew that you had been through a lot, and I wanted you to have time to come to grips with everything that had happened. You always complained about being pulled away from the Jeffersonian when we had a new case, so I thought you might like some time to just concentrate on your work there before I started pulling you out into the field again. I honestly never thought for a minute that you weren't capable of doing your job. I was just trying to protect you." He looked at her, trying to see if he what he was saying was getting through.

"We were so close that I thought I would be able to read the signs if you were having trouble dealing with everything, but I decided that Sweets probably knew what he was talking about. Cam said that you were distracted at the Jeffersonian, and she was concerned about your ability to juggle your work with me in the field and your work in the lab. Once she said this, Cullen made the decision to take you out of the field. His first responsibility is to protect his agents, and he didn't want me to be in a situation where my partner was not fully focused. He didn't know you as well as I did, and he took Cam and Sweets at their word. I know now that I shouldn't have gone along with it, but I honestly never thought that Cam would let her personal feelings get the better of her like that. I had no idea that Cullen had already sent you the letter telling you of his decision. I have every intention of telling you about this myself, but the letter beat me to the punch. I didn't want you to be blindsided like that. I wanted a chance to explain it to you right then. After you left Cullen's office that day, Cullen made Sweets and Cam both admit that they never saw any signs of "distraction", or any indication that your work was suffering in any way. They both just assumed that you would be having problems since any normal person would have found it very difficult to process everything that had happened. Cullen was furious when he found out. He fired Sweets right then, and told Cam that he would support your recommendation to the Jeffersonian's Board that she be fired, as well. That is exactly what happened. Cam is now back in New York, working with the police again. I have had no further contact with either her or Sweets since that day."

He looked at Brennan, waiting to see if she had a response. When she didn't speak, he continued. "I have always had the upmost respect for your work, and that has not changed. I never recommended that you be removed from field work, I just went along with the decisions that were made. My intentions in that meeting were to try to help you, not to sabotage your career. You and your team were the reason our success rate was the highest in the country. Since you left, working with the Jeffersonian has been torture for me. My closure rate has fallen dramatically, and I feel like I am only able to do my best work when we work as a team. I need you, Temperance. The families of our victims need you. Cullen feels the same way. He realized immediately what a huge mistake we had all made, and he told me to do everything I could to convince you to come back."

Still receiving no response, he decided to keep going. "Personally, I have come to realize that I am in love with you, which you already know. I know that you don't feel the same way, and I can deal with that. I just can't deal with not having you in my life at all. I want you to think about coming back to the Jeffersonian, and working with me again. I know that I have a long way to go to earn back your trust and respect, but I need you. I will do whatever it takes to make you see that."

He was done. He couldn't think of anything else to say. He had laid it all out for her, and now it was up to her. His heart felt like it was beating so hard it was going to jump out of his chest. He knew that this was a pivotal moment. Maybe it was too soon, but he had to get all of this off of his chest. She now had all the facts, and he just had to wait for her decision.

Brennan looked down at her lap for a moment, gathering her thoughts before she spoke. She certainly wasn't ready to give him any kind of answer; she needed some time to process everything he had told her. She had no intention of changing her plans to go to Oregon. She was looking forward to beginning a new life, and to her new position. Turning her gaze to Booth, she said, "I appreciate everything you have told me, Booth. It is a relief for me to know that the decisions that were made were not made regarding my performance, but were based on personal issues with Sweets and Cam. I know that Cam felt threatened by me, and wanted me to leave the Jeffersonian, and Sweets was uncomfortable having me around after I challenged him on conducting his little experiment with us regarding your death. I can understand the decision that Cullen made, given the information he was presented with. I still, however, and having a very difficult time with your actions. I will consider what you have told me. Now, if you will excuse me, I would like to get back to my reading."

Booth knew that she would need some time to process what he had told her, so he got up and moved back to his original seat. At least now she knew the entire situation, and he hoped that she would make the decision to let him back into her life in some way. He missed their late night dinners and all night conversations. She was the best friend he had ever had, and he missed her. He hoped that what he had told her was enough to get her to give him another chance to be her friend.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing connected to Bones or these characters.**

Several hours later, they landed in Washington. Brennan was thrilled to leave the plane. The trip hadn't been as stressful for her as she thought it might, but her conversation with Booth had left her unsettled, to say the least. She was looking forward to getting away from him so that she could have some time to think about what she wanted.

Jack had arranged for a limo to be waiting for them at the airport. They dropped Booth off at his apartment, and then drove to Jack and Angela's house. Brennan was again amazed at the sheer size of the place. It was an enormous mansion, and she knew she was going to need to spend some time finding her way around. Angela got her settled into her room, which was almost as large as her entire apartment. As she wandered around the room taking it all in, there was a knock at the door. She opened the door to find a smiling man holding her luggage.

"Good afternoon, Dr. Brennan. My name is Thompson, and I run the house for Jack and Angela." He brought the bags into the room and sat them down next to the bed. "May I offer some assistance in helping you unpack and get settled?" he asked.

"Thank you, Thompson, but I think I can manage that on my own. It is very nice to meet you, and I am looking forward to my stay here. I will need to do some laundry. I have been living in fairly primitive conditions for the past several months, so all of my clothes are in desperate need of cleaning. Could you please tell me where I can find laundry facilities?"

Smiling at her, Thompson picked up her bags again. "Dr. Brennan, we have a staff who will be more than happy to take care of that for you. Why don't I take your bags, and I will have all of your things laundered and then brought back and put away for you. We have all heard many stories about you from Jack and Angela, so we all feel like we know you already. It would be our pleasure to take care of this for you."

Brennan didn't want to impose, but Thompson was already heading back towards the door with her bags. "I appreciate that, Thompson. I don't want to add to your workload, but I really would appreciate some clean clothes! If you are sure that it wouldn't be too much of an imposition, then I would be most grateful for your help."

"Think nothing of it, Dr. Brennan. That is what we are here for. I will have everything returned to you as quickly as possible, and please, do not hesitate to let me know if there is anything I can do to be of assistance to you. I have set out lunch for you all in the small dining room next to the kitchen, so you can come down and join Jack and Angela when you are ready. I realize this house can be a little confusing for someone who is not familiar with it, so I have taken the liberty of leaving a map for you on the dresser. It should help you find your way around."

Brennan laughed, and picked up the map thankfully. "I really appreciate that, Thompson. I was starting to think that I may never find my way around this place! Please tell Jack and Angela that I am just going to take a few minutes to freshen up, and I will join them shortly."

A few minutes later, Brennan grabbed the map and headed off in search of the dining room. After several wrong turns, she finally found her way, and sat down for a late lunch with Jack and Angela. The wine and conversation flowed easily. Brennan was again reminded of how much she loved these two. Angela told hysterical stories about some of the people attending her art shows, and Hodgins told story after story of the strange and wonderful experiments he and his students were doing. He had built himself a state of the art lab on his property, and he frequently held his classes there. His students loved coming to "Hodgins Manor", as they called it. The equipment in his lab was even better than the facilities at Georgetown, so they loved the opportunity to work with the latest gadgets.

It was obvious that Hodgins loved teaching. He had created the perfect mix of academia and science. He still enjoyed working with law enforcement, but welcomed the chance to get away from murder and grisly remains. Brennan listened to his stories with hope. She would be a very lucky woman if she were able to create the same satisfying mix once she began her new position at the University of Oregon.

All too soon, lunch was over. Once they were finished, Jack asked Brennan if she would like to go with them to visit Zach. Brennan jumped at the chance. She hadn't seen Zach since a couple of weeks before she left Washington, and she couldn't wait to see him.

Since they had all been drinking, Thompson offered to drive them to the hospital where Zach lived. Thompson pulled around to the front of the house in a beautiful stretch limo. "Jack, this is incredible!" said Brennan. "Just how rich are you? I thought I was pretty well off, due to my book sales, but I have never seen anything like this. Is there anything you don't have?"

Brennan looked toward the driver's seat to find Thompson laughing. "Dr. Brennan," he said. "You have a lot to learn about our Jack. You will never meet a more modest man, who owns so much! Jack loves his big house and his toys."

Jack looked over at Thompson with a smile on his face. "Pay no attention to Thompson, Tempe. He has an unfortunate tendency to forget his place." Reaching over to smack Thompson on the back of the head, Jack said, "You better watch it, Thompson, or I'll bust you down to toilet cleaning duty!"

Thompson just laughed, and said, "Jack, you know your day wouldn't be complete without me busting your chops at least once or twice. You better be nice to me, unless you want the upstairs maid to put starch in your shorts again!"

Throwing up his hands in surrender, Jack turned to Brennan and said, "Do you see what I have to put up with? I am the Rodney Dangerfield of the Washington elite! I get no respect from my woman, or my staff. I'm telling you, it is a tough life."

By this time Brennan and Angela were both laughing at the two men. "Well, Jack," said Brennan, "I think you better listen to Thompson. It is obvious he is a man to be taken seriously. The starch in the shorts thing sounds like a pretty dangerous threat to me!"

By now, they had pulled up to the hospital. As they got out of the car, Jack told Thompson they would be done in about an hour. The hospital had pretty strict policies on visiting the patients, and each visit was limited to one hour only. As they walked into the hospital, they stopped at the finance office to check on the status of Zach's spending account. He was running a little low on funds (due to supplies he had ordered for some of his more adventurous experiments), so they both wrote out checks to replenish his account. They found Zach in the sunroom, reading the latest Forensic Anthropology journal. Brennan had made sure that his subscription was continuously funded so that he could keep up with the latest developments in the field he loved.

Zach looked up at them in surprise. Before she knew what hit her, Zach flew across the room and gathered her into his arms. She was shocked at his greeting. Zach had never been one for physical displays of affection.

"Dr. Brennan," he cried. "I am so happy to see you! I have been so worried. Thompson e-mailed me with updates on the progress of your rescue, but I didn't really believe that you were ok until now. "

Brennan laughed as she returned his hug. "I'm really fine, Zach. Thanks to Jack and Angela, and the wonderful search and rescue team they hired, I'm great. They found us before our situation had time to deteriorate. The crash was disconcerting, to say the least. But, all things considered, I am really doing very well."

"Are you still going to take the position at the University of Oregon?" asked Zach. "I've been researching the school and their Anthropology Department, and it sounds like a wonderful opportunity. Although, I certainly wouldn't mind if you decided to stay here with us. I miss the talks we used to have. There is really no one else here who can understand what I am talking about most of the time. I also understand that the Jeffersonian is operating at a much lower efficiency level since you all left. I know that they would welcome you back if you should decide to stay."

Brennan looked at Zach with a smile. "I miss you, too, Zach. I look forward to our little chats, as well. I am still leaving for Oregon in three weeks to begin my new position. Don't worry; I'll make sure that we re-establish our video link so that we can be in touch as often as you like. Now that I am back in a more technologically advanced area, we should have no problem in communicating. Regarding the Jeffersonian, it is really none of my business how they operate the Medico-Legal Lab now. I'm sure that Dr. Goodman has things well in hand."

The rest of the visit was spent with Jack, Angela and Brennan telling Zach about the plane crash, and her subsequent rescue. Brennan was also able to satisfy his curiosity about the dig she had been working, and all of the remains she had identified. All too soon, the hour was up, and it was time to go. They all hugged Zach, and promised to return again soon.

As they pulled away, Brennan was very glad that she had decided to come back and spend a few weeks with her friends. Once she moved to Oregon and began her new life, she knew how busy she would quickly become. It would be practically impossible to get away for the first couple of years, so she was determined to enjoy this time.

When they arrived back at the estate, they were surprised to see a black SUV parked in front of the house. To Brennan, it looked just like the one that Booth drove. She really hoped that he was not there. She was still sorting out her feelings, and was not ready to see him yet.

As they walked into the living room, they were surprised to see Booth, Cullen and Dr. Goodman. As they made their way into the room, the three men stood and turned towards Brennan.

Cullen was the first to speak. "Dr. Brennan," he said, "First let me tell you personally how very sorry I am for the unfortunate circumstances that led to the severing of your tie with the FBI. It has been brought to my attention time and time again what a significant loss your departure has been for us. I know that Booth has given you all of the details, but I wanted to assure you that your professionalism and dedication to your job was never in question. I am deeply sorry for any insult to your reputation that may have occurred as a result of my poor judgment in listening to the advice of Dr. Saroyan and Dr. Sweets."

Dr. Goodman stepped up next. "Temperance, my dear," he said. "I am so very happy to see you alive and well. My prayers were with you while we waited for news of you after the crash. Once I heard about the events that led to your departure, I returned from my sabbatical immediately. I tried to reach you in the field, but I was obviously unsuccessful. Hiring Dr. Saroyan to oversee the Medico-Legal Lab was the biggest mistake I have made in my career. I knew that there was tension between the two of you, but I never dreamed that she would try to undermine your career. I am so sorry that you have had to endure this entire situation." Looking at her kindly, he continued. "I imagine you have probably heard by now that the new staff of the Medico-Legal Lab is less than satisfactory. I knew that I would have a monumental task before me to try to put together a new team that could even come close to your team. The situation at the Jeffersonian is rather dire. It has been much more difficult to raise the funds that we need to maintain the lab without the foremost Forensic Anthropologist in the country and a best selling author in residence. I understand that you have accepted another position, and I wish for you nothing but the best. But, if you should ever decide to change your mind, I assure you that your position will be available to you."

Brennan looked at Dr. Goodman with a smile. "Thank you for your kind words, Dr. Goodman. It was a real pleasure working with you, and I, too, regret the circumstances that made my departure from the Jeffersonian necessary. As you said, I have accepted a position at the University of Oregon, which I fully intend to keep. I'm sorry that the Medico-Legal Lab is not functioning to its fullest potential, but I have no doubt that you will be able to correct that situation. You are an excellent administrator, and I have complete faith in your abilities."

Turning to Cullen, she said, "Director Cullen. I appreciate your kind words. I am very sorry about our present circumstances, but they occurred through no fault of mine. You made your decision eight months ago, and you will now have to deal with it. I have complete faith in Dr. Goodman, and have no doubt that the new team at the Jeffersonian will be able to develop a strong working relationship with the FBI. I wish you no ill will. The work of the FBI is admirable, and I wish you nothing but success."

"Now, if you gentlemen will excuse me, I am still rather tired from recent events." Turning to leave the room, she was stopped by Booth's hand on her arm.

"Bones," he said. "There is more that you need to know."

Turning back to face Cullen and Dr. Goodman, she addressed them with more than a hint of exasperation in her voice. "Well, what is it? My ribs and my shoulder are in need of rest, and I would like to attend to them. What more do you want from me?"

Cullen looked to Booth for help, but Booth had already returned to the couch and regained his seat. Steeling himself for the coming conversation, Cullen began. "Dr. Brennan, we are here with a request that comes directly from the President himself. As you may be aware, there has recently been a rash of unsolved murders in the DC area. We have not released the identities of the victims to the press, but the victims are all close to the Office of the President. You understand that this information is highly classified, and is not to be discussed with anyone outside this room. We have three victims so far. The first is Colin McGuire, the Secretary of State. The second victim is Marilyn Johnson, the President's Press Secretary. The final victim is Joseph Jordan, the President's Chief of Staff. As you can imagine, this has thrown the entire administration into chaos. This is an extremely delicate situation. We can't divulge the identities of the victims because we don't want to cause the public to panic, and the President is deeply concerned about the devastation of his administration and any appearance of weakness. Our best teams have been working around the clock to extract any evidence from the bodies and the crime scenes, but they have come up with nothing. They can give us cause of death, but that's it. They have found no forensic evidence at all that might help us find the people responsible. This is a desperate situation, and we need your help. The President called me personally to ask you to work with us on this case. There is no one better in your field than you, and we need our best people on this case. The security of our Country is at stake here. We need your help."

Brennan looked at Cullen in shock. She couldn't believe it; first they treated her like some fragile adolescent, and now they were asking her to put it all behind her and come to their assistance. The nerve of these people! Who did they think they were dealing with? She understood the severity of the situation, but this was their mess, and they were going to have to clean it up. She had a new job and a new life to begin. They were just going to have to solve this mystery without her.

"I'm very sorry, Director Cullen. I have no desire to return to work with the FBI in any capacity. I understand the gravity of this case, but surely there are others as qualified as I to assist you in this matter. I'm sure that the President can have any Forensic Anthropologist in the country working on this case. You don't need me. Now, if you will all excuse me, I am going to my room."

As she started to leave the room, she was again stopped; this time by Director Cullen. "Dr. Brennan, there is more. The President's daughter has been kidnapped, and we believe that the same people who killed the three members of the Administration have taken her. We are running out of time, and a twelve year old girl's fate is in your hands. I know that you don't want to work with us, and I understand that we don't have the right to expect you to. I'm asking you to do this not for us, but for the President. He and his wife are frantic with worry about their daughter, and they both believe that you are the only one who can help us."

Dr. Goodman came forward. "Temperance, we need you to help us with this. I will make the entire Medico-Legal Lab available to you and your team. I will send the new team away from the lab for as long as it takes, so that the entire lab will be yours. We need you all to come back. I know that you, Agent Booth, Dr. Hodgins, Ms. Montenegro and Dr. Addy will be able to solve this case, and return Amy Richardson back to her parents. Director Cullen has made arrangements, should you agree, to have Dr. Addy take part in a kind of work release program from the hospital. He will be able to leave the hospital and return to work as a member of your team for the duration of this case. Other agents have just met with the other members of your team, who have all agreed to return to work this case if you will head the team. The President's office has contacted the University of Oregon, and they have agreed to hold your position for as long as it takes for this case to be solved. Please, Temperance, we need your help. Please consider this request carefully. The fate of President Richardson' family and his Administration lay in your hands."

Brennan turned towards the door, where she saw Angela, Jack and Zach entering the room. They all looked rather shocked. They had been meeting with a team from the FBI in the other room, where they had received the same information. The FBI had picked up Zach from the hospital and brought him to the house so they could meet with all of the members of the team at the same time. As they all moved to her side, Jack looked at her for a long moment. "So, what do you think, Tempe? Do you want to bring the team back together for one last hurrah before you head off to the wild west?"

Brennan was, for once, at a loss for words. She couldn't believe what she had heard. She was sorry about the deaths of the members of the Administration, but the abduction of a child had hit her hard. She felt her resolve to remove herself from the situation wavering. Looking from Booth to Cullen, she said, "Director Cullen, you have given me a lot to think about. I can't give you an answer at this moment. I need a few minutes to think about this. You all can wait here, but I need to meet with my team to discuss this." She turned to Jack, "Jack, is there someplace we can go to talk about this privately?"

Jack looked at her and laughed. "Tempe, have you seen this house? Privacy is not a problem. Within two minutes, we can be so far removed from this room that search dogs couldn't find us! Come on, guys," he said, "follow me."


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing connected to Bones or these characters.**

As Brennan, Jack, Angela and Zach made their way out of the room, Booth was at a loss. He didn't know if he should follow them, or stay where he was. This was an unusual situation for him. He was normally very confident in his place in the order of things, but given their current circumstances, he wasn't sure he we was still considered part of the "team."

Brennan looked back at him as they left, with the same question in her mind. Cullen and Goodman had made it clear they considered Booth to be part of her team. To be honest, Booth was very good at what he did. If she was going to take on this challenge, she would need him. She didn't like it, but it was a fact. Making her decision, she stopped. "Booth," she said, "Are you coming?"

Booth jumped up from the couch, with his old, cocky smile. He knew she wasn't ready to deal with him yet, but at least it was a start. He caught up with them at the door, they all headed off in search of somewhere where they could speak privately. True to his word, within two minutes, Jack had them in a room so far removed from the living room that Cullen and Goodman would need to borrow Brennan's map to find them.

As they settled into comfortable chairs, Jack could no longer contain himself. "Can you believe the size of this cover up? This is incredible. Three senior members of the Administration are dead, and the President's daughter has been kidnapped. There isn't a hint of this in the news, or even on any of my favorite conspiracy websites. How is it possible for them to keep this so quiet? This is one giant conspiracy to keep the public in the dark."

Booth just shook his head. "Jack, this is a matter of national security. The Administration would be undermined immediately if this got out. The President is incredibly vulnerable with his daughter missing. The nut cases would come out of the woodwork, all claiming to have her. They would try to use this as leverage to get the President to do whatever they wanted. The deaths of the members of the Administration don't exactly inspire confidence in the security of our country, either."

Brennan looked around the room at her old team. She had to admit, it did feel good to have them all together again, and it was wonderful to have Zach out of the hospital, even if it was just temporary. Truth be told, she was interested in the case, and she did feel a sense of duty to her country, but she had some major reservations about taking it on. Foremost in her mind was the fact that she really didn't want to have to work with Booth and the FBI.

Her feelings towards Booth were confused, to say the least. Looking at the situation rationally, she understood Booth's actions better since he had explained everything to her. That still didn't erase the fact that he was part of the decision making process. It was just like when he died. He left her totally out of the loop, and decisions were made that impacted her life dramatically.

It was decision time. Time was obviously crucial right now, and they couldn't afford a length delay while she made up her mind. "Angela, Jack, Zach…what do you think? Are you all really ready to put your lives on hold for however long this takes? Zack, I imagine this isn't as difficult a decision for you. I would think that you would be most willing to leave the hospital to work on this. But, Angela and Jack, what about your new lives? Don't you have a new show coming up soon that you are working on? And Jack, what about your students? Are you ready to leave them behind for this?"

Zach spoke first. "You are correct, Dr. Brennan. I would be most pleased to leave the hospital and return to the work I love, even if it is only temporary. You can count me in."

Jack smiled at Zach. "How could I possibly pass up the chance to prove to Zach who is, once and for all, King of the Lab? Come on, Tempe. It would be great to work together again. I love teaching, but I really do miss the work we did. It was incredibly satisfying for me to be able to help catch killers. I really miss all of the cloak and dagger stuff!"

"Don't worry about me," said Angela. "I do have a new show coming up, but I'm ready. I have all of the pieces done, and they are already at the gallery awaiting installation. The gallery staff takes care of that anyway, so I'm all yours."

Brennan stared down at her hands. "This is really difficult for me. I still have very conflicted emotions about this whole situation. I was looking forward to relaxing for a few weeks, and then moving to Oregon. I don't want this. I don't want to work with the FBI, and going back to the Jeffersonian, even temporarily, is going to be hard."

Straightening her shoulders, she stared out the window. "I guess I have no choice. The stability of our country's political infrastructure is at stake here, not to mention the life of an innocent, twelve year old girl. So, I guess that's it. Let's go tell them and get started."

They walked back into the living room, with Brennan in the lead and her team behind her. "Director Cullen, I find myself in the position of being unable to refuse your request. You should know that I am doing this for one reason, and one reason only; to find Amy Richardson. There are conditions to my participation. Number one: there will be no interference from anyone at the FBI. We will work with Booth only. You will make any FBI resources that we need available to us immediately, with no questions. I will not tolerate any interference whatsoever. Whatever we need from you, you will provide. Number two: Zach will not be returning to the hospital. He will stay here with Angela and Jack, if that is ok with them. Since we now know, thanks' to Sweets' inability to maintain patient/doctor confidentiality, Zach didn't actually kill the lobbyist. While his actions were still criminal, he did not commit murder. Had he been convicted of the crimes he did commit, he would be out on probation by now. I don't know or care how you do this, but I want Zach released so that he can resume his life. I have no problem with some kind of probation arrangement, or mandatory counseling, but I want him out of that hospital. One final thing: I am agreeing to come back for this case, and this case only. I will be leaving for Oregon immediately upon its resolution."

Looking over at Angela and Jack, she said, "I guess I should have asked you about this, first. Would you be willing to have Zach move back into his old apartment? Also, I find myself homeless at the moment. I know we had planned on me staying with you for a few weeks. Since we have no idea how long this will take, would you mind if I stayed with you for the duration, as well?"

Jack laughed. "Of course, Tempe. As you know, we have plenty of room. It will be our pleasure to have you stay with us for as long as it takes. As far as Zach moving back into his apartment; I think that is a fantastic idea. I haven't changed a thing since he left." Looking over at his friend with a smile, Jack continued, "I know I should have packed up your things and sent them to your family, but I just couldn't do it. Your "home" is ready and waiting for you. It will be good to have you back, man!" Turning back to Brennan, Jack said, "I think Thompson already has a bit of a "crush" on you, so I'm sure he won't mind the extra work. I'll send someone to the hospital to pick up your stuff, Zach, and we will get you all settled in."

Turning back to Cullen and Dr. Goodman, Brennan continued. "Dr. Goodman, are you sure that it will not be a problem to remove the current staff of the Medico-Legal Lab? We will need all of the lab's resources, and it would be a problem to have to work around another team. Also, we will need a temporary office for Booth. I think it would be prudent for him to be based out of the Jeffersonian for the duration of this case. We will all need to work closely together on this, and it will be more efficient if we are all together."

"It will not be a problem, Temperance. I found myself unable to let the new Forensic Anthropologist use your office, so it is just as you left it. Arranging an office for Booth will also be no problem. The office next to yours will be cleaned out and set up for him immediately. We have several alternate work locations, where the current staff will be relocated. The lab is yours whenever you want to get started."

"Thank you, Dr. Goodman. You are being most accommodating, and I appreciate it. If it can be arranged, I would like to start first thing tomorrow morning. I will be at the lab by 7:00 to get started."

Turning to Cullen, Brennan said, "Director Cullen, please have everything sent to the Jeffersonian by 7:00 tomorrow morning. When I say everything, I mean everything. All physical evidence, case notes, everything. And, of course, the bodies of the three victims."

"Of course, Dr. Brennan. Your conditions are all reasonable, and to be expected, with the exception of Zach's release. I don't know how we can make that happen. I will have everything sent to the lab immediately, and inform the President of your cooperation. You not only have my thanks, but the gratitude of the Administration, as well."

"Since the President was so insistent on my cooperation, I'm sure that something can be arranged regarding Zach's freedom. I don't really know how clemency or pardons work, but I'm sure he can come up with something. I will expect definite confirmation of this before I begin work tomorrow. This term is non-negotiable. Now, if you will all excuse me, I need to rest. Jack, since I have no car, I assume we will all ride together in the morning?" said Brennan.

"Of course, Tempe," said Jack. "We can all ride together, or I have several cars you can use while you are here, so you can pretty much take your pick. How about we meet back in the dining room for breakfast at 6:00, and then we can all leave from there?"

"That sounds great to me, Jack," said Brennan. "Now if you will excuse me, I am going to my room. I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Bren," said Angela. "I will send Thompson up in a few minutes with some dinner for you, so that you can relax in private."

Brennan looked at her friend gratefully. "Thanks, Ange. I really appreciate everything. See you in the morning."

Thompson showed Cullen, Dr. Goodman and Booth out, and then went to check on dinner. Brennan's dinner was brought to her in her room, and Jack, Angela and Zach all met in the dining room. As they sat down to eat, they were all still in a bit of shock.

"I just can't believe this," said Zach. "If someone had told me this morning that I would be sitting here, a free man once again, I would have thought they needed to join me in that hospital!"

Jack wasn't so optimistic. "Zach, don't get your hopes up too much, yet. Cullen hasn't yet secured your release. I just can't imagine it is going to be that easy. "

Angela just laughed. "Did you hear what Bren said to him? There is no way he isn't going to make this happen. The President is not in a position to bargain. He is going to be willing to move heaven and earth to get his daughter back, and if that means freeing our own personal resident crazy person, then that's what he will do."

The rest of the meal was spent with easy conversation and high hopes. As they were all finishing dessert, Thompson came into the room with a phone in his hand. "Jack," he said. "Director Cullen is on the phone for Dr. Brennan, but I really didn't want to disturb her. She was exhausted when I brought her dinner to her. I thought you might take the call, instead?"

"Of course, Thompson," said Jack. "Hand it over."

"Director Cullen, this is Jack Hodgins. Dr. Brennan is resting. What can we do for you?"

"Dr. Hodgins, I just wanted to let you know that I have been in touch with the President, and Dr. Addy's release has been obtained. He has been cleared of all of the charges, and released from the hospital. A term of his release is that he be required to live in some kind of structured environment, so he will be required to live on the grounds of your property, if that is acceptable to you. He will also be required to undergo mandatory counseling for the next several years, at least, until it has been determined that he is no longer in any danger of posing a threat to society. I have gotten permission to have the start of his therapy postponed until the conclusion of this case. Will these terms be acceptable to you and to Dr. Brennan?"

Jack smiled into the phone. It was no hardship for him to agree to have his best friend live on his property. He wouldn't have it any other way. "Director Cullen," he said. "I think I can safely speak for Dr. Brennan when I say these terms will be acceptable to her. I will gladly accept responsibility for Zach, and open my home to him. I will inform Dr. Brennan of these developments in the morning, but, knowing her, she is going to want to see it in writing. Will you please send over the release documents to the house immediately?"

"Certainly," said Cullen. "The papers are being drawn up now, and I will have them delivered to your home at 6:00 tomorrow morning. I think that satisfies all of Dr. Brennan's requirements, so we will expect her to devote her full attentions to this case. Now, if you will excuse me, I find myself in need of a very stiff drink. I'm going to go home now, and have a very long conversation with my friend, Jack Daniels."

Jack laughed as he hung up the phone. "Well, Zach, it looks like you are a free man. Cullen has arranged everything just as Tempe requested. You have been released, and all charges cleared. You will have to live here on my property, and undergo mandatory counseling once the case is over. What do you think? Is this all ok with you?"

Zach looked over at Jack, in shock. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had thought that he was going to spend the rest of his life locked up in that hospital. Nodding his head so quickly that Jack thought he was going to suffer whiplash, Zach said, "I think that will be acceptable, Hodgins."

Jack and Angela laughed at him, hugging their friend. Right now, life was good. They had Zach back, and Brennan was back too, at least for awhile. They were all looking forward to working together again on this new case.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing connected to Bones or these characters**

6:00 a.m. rolled around much too quickly. Everyone was exhausted from the past few days, and would have liked nothing more than to be able to sleep in, for a change. Time was of the essence, so now was not the time. When she finished her shower, Brennan took a good look at herself in the mirror. She had dark circles under her eyes, and the cut on her forehead was still rather ugly looking. Her ribs and shoulder were still extremely painful, but she was able to move around pretty well. She felt confident that she was healing well, and hoped it wouldn't be too much longer before the pain started to fade. She finished getting ready, and made her way down to breakfast.

She entered the dining room to find Angela, Jack and Zach waiting for her. Strangely, the mood was light, and there was plenty of laughter going around the table. It was wonderful to see Zach in his normal clothes, with only the gloves on his hands giving any indication that things had changed. He had undergone several surgeries to correct the damage to his hands, and he had regained almost full mobility. Unfortunately, there was still significant nerve damage and substantial scarring. Brennan looked at him sitting next to her, and couldn't believe he was really here. She found herself wanting to reach over and touch him frequently, almost as if she were afraid that he was some kind of mirage that would disappear. She felt an almost overwhelming sense of "family" sitting at this table, with her closest friends in the world.

Finished with breakfast, they made their way to the waiting car for the ride to the Jeffersonian. As they approached the building, Angela reached over and grabbed Brennan's hand. "Are you alright, Sweetie?" she asked. "This has got to be a little strange for you, coming back here after all this time."

Brennan stared at the building in front of her. "It is a little unsettling, Ange. I didn't think I would ever see the Jeffersonian again, and yet here we are. After everything that has happened in the past few months, I never thought we would all be back together, working on another case. I have to admit that, as much as I was looking forward to starting over in Oregon, a part of me is pretty excited that we are all back here, together. Having Zach back, and realizing that he is now free to resume his life and career just makes it all that much better. Believe it or not, I am actually pretty happy right now."

Angela hated to bring it up while Bren was in such a good mood, but she had to ask. "What about Booth? What are your feelings about working with him again?"

"I'm still pretty confused about that, Ange. Booth explained the whole situation to me on the flight back from Argentina, and it made me realize that he didn't play as large a part in this whole thing as I originally thought. I'm not saying that I have forgiven him. I haven't. But, I do realize that his heart was probably in the right place, and he really did think he was protecting me. I'm not the kind of person who needs to be protected. Yes, I work too much, and I push myself too hard sometimes. I am an intelligent, self aware woman. I know when I am doing that to myself, and I know when to stop. I don't need his protection when it comes to taking care of myself. I think he realizes now what a problem his desire to protect me has become. It doesn't really matter anymore, though. Once this case is done, I am on the first plane to Oregon, and I won't ever have to worry about the overprotective nature of Special Agent Seeley Booth again."

Looking up, Angela and Brenna realized that Jack and Zach had already gotten out of the car, and were just standing there, waiting for them. Laughing, they got out of the car, and the four friends headed into the building.

They were met just inside the door by Dr. Goodman, who handed them all their security badges and their lab coats. They all looked at him in surprise. Goodman appeared to be a little embarrassed when he looked at each of them and said, "I kept your badges and your lab coats when you all left. You are the finest team it has ever been my privilege to work with, and I couldn't make myself destroy them. I realize that you are all back on a strictly temporary basis, but forgive me if I enjoy this time with you. Even you, Dr. Hodgins."

They all laughed, and made their way into the building. They came around the corner, and the first thing they saw was the platform where they had spent so much of their time. Booth was standing in the center of the platform, almost appearing to be standing guard over the evidence that had been placed there overnight. Brennan was embarrassed to find that she had tears in her eyes. Looking over at her friends, she was surprised to see that they were all apparently experiencing the same emotions. Brennan straightened her shoulders, and said, "Thank you, Dr. Goodman. It is good to be back. Now, let's get a look at our evidence."

Swiping her id card to gain access to the platform, Brennan and her team climbed the steps, and they all scattered to their old positions. Brennan and Zach immediately headed towards the steel tables that contained the bodies of the three victims. Brennan headed toward one body, which Zach headed toward another. As Brennan approached Booth, she had to bite back a smile. He was standing there, in his usual perfectly cut suit and "cocky" belt buckle, practically bouncing on his feet. The ever present poker chip was flying through the air, as he repeatedly flipped it up, catching it without looking each time. Some things never change!

Smiling at her, Booth said, "Hey Bones. Get a move on, will ya? We've got a case!"

Brennan couldn't help it any longer, she laughed. She also heard laughter coming from Angela, Zach and Hodgins. They were back!

Booth held out the case files to Brennan, but she just shook her head. "Just fill me in, Booth. I don't want to waste time looking through the files when there are bodies to be examined. I can compartmentalize extremely well. Please give me the pertinent facts while I begin my examinations."

Taking a deep breath, Booth began to fill her in. "This is the body of Colin McGuire, Secretary of State. He was the first victim. He was found in Bethesda, about three miles from his house. The FBI's investigation determined that he was abducted from his own driveway on Monday the 24th at about 7:00 a.m. He was leaving for work, and just like always, stopped at the mailbox at the end of his driveway to pick up the mail. His car was found still running, with the driver's side door open when his wife started to leave for work at about 7:30. There was no sign of a struggle, and the CSI teams were unable to find any evidence on his car. They determined that he left his car to get the mail, and someone grabbed him then."

Booth continued. "He was found bound and gagged, with a single gunshot wound to the back of the head, execution style. He was buried in a shallow grave, in Bixby National Park. The evidence at the scene indicates that he was killed there. The FBI determined that someone dug the grave in advance. McGuire was taken to the site, and forced to kneel next to the grave. He was then shot in the back of the head, and was pushed into the grave. The body was found by some hikers. They had a dog with them, who immediately ran over to the grave and began digging as they approached the site. The dog got down through the dirt enough to unearth a part of the victim's leg before its owners stopped it."

While Booth had been speaking, Brennan had been carefully examining the body. "The particulate evidence will be particularly important in this case, Booth. I assume that Jack has been given the bullet, all of the samples they collected, and the victim's clothes?" she asked.

"Yes," Booth said. "They took soil samples from all of the pertinent areas, and the clothes have been preserved for Hodgins. They even saved him all of the bugs they collected from the body and the surrounding area. Hodgins should be happier than a pig in….well, whatever it is that pigs like to be in."

"Very well, then. Since we know identity, the cause of death and the manner of abduction, I don't see any reason to macerate the bones. We will take x-rays to determine if there are any anomalies that would make this necessary, but I think that this victim's death is pretty straight forward. Hopefully Jack can find something in the particulate evidence that will give us information about his killer or killers. I assume that the FBI techs were unable to find any fingerprints or other evidence that might tie someone to this murder?"

"No," said Booth. "The killers were extremely careful. This appears to have been done by professionals. I would expect nothing less, given the fact that we are talking about the Secretary of State, here. That's why we need you and your team, Bones. You are the ones who find evidence when there doesn't appear to be any evidence to find."

Brennan started to tell him not to call her Bones, but then thought better of it. It was going to be difficult enough to work with him on this case. She didn't really care what he called her. She just wanted to get this case solved so that she could move on with the rest of her life.

"Ok, Booth," she said. "Let's move on to the next victim."

Arriving at the table containing the remains of Marilyn Johnson, Brennan could see that the manner of death had been different for this victim. Examining the body, Brennan turned to Booth. "Are you sure that this is the work of the same killer? This victim was strangled, with someone's bare hands. There is evidence of tape on the mouth, and the hands and feet were bound, but those are the only similarities."

"We're sure, Bones," said Booth. "I know that it is highly unusual for someone to change their method of killing like this, but there is no doubt this is the same killer. Marilyn Johnson was abducted from the parking garage of a local hotel. She was having an affair with a prominent lobbyist, and they had a standing appointment at the St. Regis Hotel every Thursday at 3:00. They had been seeing each other for about a year, and their routine never varied. She was hit on the head from behind when she returned to her car in the parking garage. Blood spatter at the scene confirmed this. She was dragged for approximately 30 feet to a waiting car and taken from the scene. She appeared to be a fighter. We found traces of flesh under her fingernails, and there is evidence that she sustained several blows to the head with someone's fist before she was finally strangled. Evidence suggests that she was able to free her hands while she was being transported to the location where her body was later found. We think she was thrown into the trunk of a car. She freed her hands, and when the trunk was opened to remove her body, she attacked her captor. She was able to scratch him well enough to leave skin under her nails. We think that she was strangled in the struggle with her captor. She was also buried in a shallow grave, not far from the scene of her abduction. This site was on land privately owned. She was found in a wooded area of a large estate. The area was heavily wooded, and there was an old logging trail not far away. We ascertained that she was driven as close to the burial site as possible on the logging trail, due to the tire marks we found. The struggle took place there. She was killed there, and then her body was dragged through the woods to the grave. The family who owns the estate are avid horseback riders. They found the body on one of their rides. The dirt over the grave had been disturbed by a storm that swept through the area a few days after her abduction."

Looking up from her examination, Brennan said, "How does this lead you to believe that these two deaths are the work of the same killer? There appear to be no similarities, except for the facts that both victims were abducted and both buried in remote areas in shallow graves. How does this equate to the same killer?"

"It doesn't, Bones. We received communication from the killers that connect the two killings. No one else, other than the families, knows that these three people are dead. The Secretary of Defense's office received a phone call from the killers after the bodies were found. The caller claimed responsibility for the killings, and for the abduction of Amy Richardson. Amy's abduction has not been made public, either. They gave details that no one else could know. They said that the killings were just to make sure that they were taken seriously. They have Amy Richardson, and are holding her hostage until the President does what they want him to. They say they will release Amy once he complies with their wishes, but we know that isn't true. Even if the President does what they ask, there is no reason for them to leave Amy alive. We have to find them before Amy runs out of time. They haven't told the President what they want from him yet, or given us a timeline. The fact that they were able to kill three such high profile people, and kidnap the President's daughter, lets us know that we are not dealing with amateurs here. These people know what they are doing, and are very good at it."

Calling over to Zach, Brennan said, "Zach, the flesh on this victim will need to be removed, and the bones cleaned. I need to be able to determine what kind of instrument was used to hit the victim on the head to render her unconscious during her abduction. I will also need the skin around the neck preserved. She was strangled by someone, using their bare hands. I want the flesh examined to make sure that the FBI techs didn't miss anything. There is significant bruising on the skin. Work with Angela to see if she can determine the size of the hands, and see if there are any fingerprints we can lift from the skin. Once we have all of the evidence from the skin, I need it removed so that we can examine the bones more closely."

She and Booth moved to the third victim. "What can you tell me about this one, Booth?" Brennan asked.

"This is Chief of Staff Joseph Jordan. His manner of death is the same as Colin McGuire's. Jordan was also taken from his home. According to his wife, he left his house on Friday, the 28th, at 6:30 a.m. He apparently never made it to his car. He kissed his wife goodbye, and left through the door leading into the garage. His wife heard the garage door open a minute later, and then close again. She had gone upstairs when her husband left to shower, so she never heard his car. When she went into the garage an hour later to leave for a breakfast meeting, she noticed that her husband's car was still there. She called his office, and found out that he had not come in yet. The garage door opener was missing from his car. The evidence suggests that someone was waiting for him in the garage. They attacked him with a stun gun, opened the garage door, took him out to a waiting car, closed the garage door, and drove off. We found marks from a stun gun on his neck; I guess the killers learned their lesson from Marilyn Johnson. His hands were bound, and his mouth taped. He was taken to a shallow grave, this time in an old graveyard within a few miles of his house. The graveyard is behind an old church, and is no longer used for new burials. He was also shot in the back of the head, and then pushed into the grave. The site was found when a family went into the graveyard to place flowers at a grave. They noticed the fresh grave and notified the church, who called the local police. They called us."

Brennan stared at the body for another moment. "Since we know manner of death and identity, there is no reason to examine this body for more than particulate evidence. We can possibly get information about the stun gun from the marks on his neck. Again, Jack has been given soil samples, the bullet, and the victim's clothes?" she asked.

"Yes," Booth said. "All of the evidence has been made available for Hodgins. I only hope he has more luck in getting something out of it than we did."

"I'm sorry, Booth, But I have no doubt that Jack will be able to ascertain many things from the evidence that the FBI missed. Jack is the best there is in his field. If there is anything to be found, he will find it." Said Brennan.

Glancing up at Booth, Brennan said, "Jack and Zach have the bodies and the evidence well in hand. If you don't mind, I would like to see each of the burial sites. No offence, Booth, but I would like to determine for myself that the FBI didn't miss anything."

Booth laughed, saying, "I would expect nothing less, Bones. If you are done here, let's head out. We have the three burial sites to visit, and I'm sure you want to see the hotel parking lot where Marilyn Johnson was taken, as well."

Brennan looked at him with a smile. "Just let me get my kit, Booth, and I'll be right with you."

Brennan left the platform and headed to "her" office. Just as Dr. Goodman had said, it was exactly as she had left it. She found her field kit in the corner. She examined its contents to make sure that everything she would need was there. It was, so she closed the kit and stepped out of her office to find Booth waiting. Brennan called out to her team to let them know that she would be leaving for awhile, and she and Booth walked out of the lab to head out to the crime scene. Booth's hand quickly found its way to its customary place at the small of her back. She stiffened for a moment, and then relaxed. If she was going to let him call her "Bones", then she was all in. She was going to let him behave as he always did, at least for now. She told herself it was temporary. Once this case was over, then she would be on her way to Oregon, leaving Booth far behind.

Booth felt her stiffen as he intentionally placed his hand on her back. He knew he was pushing it, but he wanted to see how far she would let him go. She had let him call her "Bones", so he figured there was no harm in pushing his luck. When he felt her relax, he smiled. He knew she was still pissed and hurt, but at least she wasn't shutting him out totally. This, he could work with.


	15. Chapter 15

Brennan and Booth spent a long day out in the field, going to each crime scene. Brennan examined each of the case files while at each scene. She couldn't find fault with the work of the FBI techs; they had been extremely thorough in collecting the evidence from each scene. In fact, she was surprised they did such a good job; it was as if her own team had collected the evidence. Reading the cases files again, she noticed something. "Booth", she said. "The same technicians collected the evidence from all three crime scenes. Isn't that unusual"?

"Not really, Bones. This CSI team is the team that worked with us on most of our local cases. These are the people you basically trained in the field. Over the years, I noticed the people who took your instructions to heart, and they were put together to form one team. These are the FBI technicians who are the absolute best at what they do, thanks to you. Anytime there is a particularly sensitive case, these are the people we call. "

Brennan was shocked. She had no idea that any of the technicians regarded her with anything other than frustration. She knew she was not the easiest person in the world to work with; she was known for being short with people, and being very demanding. The level of their work was exceptional, and she was proud to know that she had helped in forming such a strong and efficient unit.

"I'm impressed, Booth. I'm impressed with the quality of their work, and I'm impressed that you were perceptive enough to recognize their expertise. I really could not have asked for anything better. I don't think there is anything else I can learn from these crime scenes that isn't already in the files. I guess that only leaves one more stop. What can you tell me about Amy Richardson's abduction?"

Booth opened the case file and began. "Amy Richardson was taken from her school three days ago. She was on her way to the cafeteria for lunch with some of her friends, when she decided to stop in the ladies room. Her friends went on without her, and that is the last time that anyone saw her. When she didn't show up for lunch, her friends went looking for her. They found her backpack on the ground in front of the restroom. We locked down the school and flooded it with agents and CSI techs. They found nothing. There were no signs of a struggle; no signs that anything at all had happened, other than the backpack. She couldn't have been taken out of the main doors. The school has several students who are the children of high profile people, so security is very tight. There are guards stationed outside all the doors, and Amy is definitely the most visible student there. There are paparazzi stationed right outside of the gates of the school just hoping for the chance to get a picture of her. We have confiscated all of the cameras that were there that day, and the images are being examined now. Since we have nothing else to go on, we are really hoping that someone got a picture that might lead us in the right direction. Basically, we've got nothing."

"Can you get me a copy of the blueprints of the school?" she asked. "I want to see if there are any other exits that could have been used to take her out of there. I want to see the spot where they found her backpack. It would make sense that they would have wanted to get her out of the hallway as quickly as possible once they subdued her. I'm thinking that there must be some way they were able to do that without using the normal entrances."

"Got them right here, Bones. If you look in the seat behind you, you will see them. We have been all over them, and checked every possible exit route, but you are welcome to take a look for yourself."

They walked into the school's administration building to check in and get their visitor's badges. Booth led her to the hallway where Amy's backpack had been found, and Brennan unrolled the blueprints. After studying them for a few minutes, she noticed something. "Booth, do you see the ceiling panel over there? It looks like it isn't quite flush with the rest of the panels."

"As you can see from the blueprints, Bones, there isn't any kind of ventilation shaft in that part of the ceiling that could have been used to move her."

"I know what the blueprints show, Booth, but these blueprints are over twenty years old. Did anyone check to see what may be up there now? Any renovations done in the past twenty years wouldn't show up on these blueprints. Would you please grab that trashcan for me? I want to take a look for myself."

Booth removed the plastic bag full of trash from the can, and moved the can so it was directly under the ceiling tile. He flipped it over so that the bottom was sticking up, and gave Brennan his hand to help her climb onto the can. She lifted the ceiling tile and looked up in the dark space above.

"I'm going to need a flashlight, Booth. Can you grab one out of my kit for me?"

"Sure thing, Bones," Booth said, handing her the flashlight. "What can you see up there?"

After a moment, Brennan spoke. "Well, there is definitely a ventilation shaft here that does not show up on the blueprints. The dust has been recently disturbed. I think we have found their exit route. Do me a favor, and call Jack. I need my team here immediately to examine this area. I want this entire shaft examined for particulate evidence. It's possible they may have left something behind that might help us."

Booth couldn't believe it. The FBI had their finest teams crawling all over this school, and they missed something this obvious! This is why he needs her to come back. There is just no one better at this than Bones. Her sharp eyes and analytical skills always seem to find what others miss. Grabbing the phone, he makes the call to Jack.

"I think we need to go back to the lab, Booth. Zach should have the bones cleaned and ready for my examination by now, and Jack is going to need some time to examine this shaft. I think we are done here for now, and I would like to get started on Marilyn Johnson's body now to try to determine what was used to render her unconscious."

"Sure thing, Bones," said Booth. "What do you say we stop for some lunch before we head back to the lab? I don't know about you, but I'm feeling a serious need for some pie!"

Brennan laughed as she got into the SUV. "How could I have possibly forgotten about your unnatural pie obsession? By all means, let's get you some pie before you go into withdrawals."

They walked into the diner, and automatically headed to their usual table. As they waited for their food to arrive, Brennan was starting to feel uncomfortable. Up until now, there had been something or someone else to take the focus off of the two of them. But now, it was just them, with no buffers. At least they had the case to concentrate on. That should take some of the pressure off.

Booth stared at Brennan across the table in silence. He hated how uncomfortable they felt around each other. It reminded him of how he felt when they first met. Again, he felt awkward and unsure of himself. He knew she was still angry with him, but he honestly didn't think he deserved it. He was only trying to protect her, and to make sure that she took the time she needed to deal with everything. Sure, he hadn't handled it perfectly. He should have been the one to explain things to her before she received that cold letter from Cullen. He would have, except the letter was sent before he even had the chance to talk to her. He desperately wanted her to talk to him, but he knew he couldn't force it. He was just going to have to wait and let her take the lead.

Brennan couldn't take the silence any more. "I think we are making progress, Booth. Hopefully that air shaft will yield something, and we have a substantial amount of evidence to sift through. The longer they have Amy Richardson, the less our chances are of finding her alive. We need to find something soon."

"We will find something, Bones. We always do. Once we finish lunch, we will head back to the Jeffersonian and get started. I have stacks of witness statements to read through, and I'm hoping that Jack has been able to find something that might give us some information about our suspects."

When their lunch arrived, they switched over to less intense topics. Brennan asked about Parker, which set the course for the rest of the conversation. Booth loved talking about his son, and Brennan was soon laughing at the adorable boy's antics. Parker loved spending time with his father, and was always coming up with new and creative ways to convince Rebecca to let them be together. The last time, Parker had told Rebecca that only Booth could help him with his science project, since "stuff" had rubbed off on him from working with his squints. Booth had been at a total loss about the project, so he had taken Parker to see Brennan's dad. They had spent the whole day together, finally coming up with a model of a volcano that actually erupted! It erupted some kind of red slime that came shooting out of the top with way too much force when Parker presented it to his teacher for grading. The teacher and Parker were both covered in red slime, much to the delight of Parker and his classmates. Even though the teacher was not too happy about the slime, she still gave him an "A" on the project, so Parker was thrilled.

They talked and laughed over lunch, almost like old times. All too soon, lunch was over and it was time to get back to the case. They drove to the Jeffersonian and got back to work.

As they walked back into the lab, Angela was quick to notice Booth's hand at its customary place on Brennan's back, and the smile on both of their faces. She was sure that nothing had been resolved this quickly, but at least it looked like the two old friends were getting along again. She only hoped it would lead to something more. Brennan had been closed off and lonely for far too long. It was time for her friend to find some happiness.

Heading back up to the platform, Brennan set to work. Zach had harvested the skin from Marilyn Johnson's neck, and Angela had scanned the image of the handprints into the Angelator. She was currently working on entering in the various coordinates that would help them recreate the attack, and hopefully give them an idea of the size of the attacker, based on the size of the hand.

Brennan examined Marilyn Johnson's skull with her usual single minded focus. She spent hours examining the skull, using all of the high tech equipment the lab had to offer. She was able to determine that the blow to the head that had incapacitated the victim was from the butt of a handgun. Not just a handgun, but a 9mm Glock 17. This should help them at least begin to formulate a list of suspects; something no one had been able to do yet.

Until Jack returned from the school and could continue his particulate examination, there wasn't much else she could do in the lab at this point. So, she decided it was time to take the flesh from Marilyn Johnson's neck to a colleague of hers for a more in depth analysis. She and her team were not exactly skilled in working with flesh. Truth be told, they hated working with it. Bones were just so much more exact; the marks left on a bone didn't change. The evidence was always there, just waiting for them to find it.

Brennan walked into Angela's office to let her know she would be gone for awhile. "Where are you and Booth going, Bren?" she asked.

"I'm not taking Booth this time, Ange. I'm going to take the skin to Dr. Alex Weaver, an old friend of mine who teaches over at Georgetown. He is the best in his field at retrieving fingerprints off of skin, and I want him to take a look at the marks left on Marilyn Johnson's neck. This shouldn't take long; I'll be back as soon as I can." Turning towards the door, Brennan stopped. "Oh, damn!" she exclaimed. "I forgot, I don't have a car."

Angela laughed, saying, "Hodgie thought of that. He thought you might need to go off of your own at some point, so he had Thompson bring a car over for you. Here are the keys. It is a blue BMW, parked in your usual spot."

Brennan shook her head with a smile. "I can't believe you guys. How do you manage to anticipate everything I might need? Why are you so good to me?"

"Because we love you, Sweetie," Angela said. "These are just the kinds of things that you do for the people you love."

Grabbing her friend in a quick hug, Brennan said, "I love you guys, too. Now let me get out of here before Alex goes home for the evening."

Two hours later, Booth came into Angela's office looking for Brennan. "Hey Angela. Where's Bones?"

"She left a couple of hours ago to take the skin from Marilyn Johnson's neck to some old friend of hers at Georgetown. I think she said his name is Alex Weaver," she said.

"Well, I need her," he said. "The President has received a ransom call from the kidnappers, and we need to get over there. I'll see you later, Angela."

Booth headed out of the Jeffersonian and into his SUV. He made a call to his office to find out where to find Alex Weaver, and drove over to Georgetown. He found Brennan and Dr. Weaver in his office, sharing what looked to him like a very affectionate hug. Taking a deep breath to try to keep himself from knocking the guy on his ass, he said, "Dr. Brennan, I sorry to interrupt such a sweet moment, but we are in the middle of a case, and I need your assistance."

Brennan looked at him, immediately furious at his tone. "Certainly, Agent Booth," she said. "Dr. Weaver and I were just saying goodbye, so by all means, don't let me keep you waiting." With that, she stormed out of the room, leaving Booth in her wake.

As they entered the parking lot, Brennan headed toward Jack's BMW. "We have to go directly to the White House, so you better ride with me. I'll have one of the agents there come get the car and bring it back to the Jeffersonian for you," he said.

"Fine," said Brennan. "Far be it from me to keep you waiting." They entered the car in silence, both furious at each other.

After about 10 minutes, Booth couldn't take it anymore. "What did you think you were doing with that guy back there? You are back in town for what, two days, and already you're hooking up with some guy? Didn't it mean anything to you when I told you I loved you?" Booth looked down and noticed his knuckles were white, he was gripping the steering wheel so hard. He forced himself to relax his grip, and tried to get his emotions under control.

Brennan couldn't believe her ears. How dare he accuse her of "hooking up with some guy". What business of his was it, anyway? Brennan turned eight months' worth of frustration on him. "Booth, what in the hell are you talking about? Do you realize how incredibly unprofessional your behavior is? Had you stopped to evaluate the situation before you opened your big mouth, you would have noticed the wedding ring on Alex's finger. He is an old friend of mine from grad school, and he is married, with two kids. Not that this is any of your business, anyway. Don't you dare call my professionalism into question again by implying that I'm off "hooking up with some guy" while I am working a case!" Looking out the window, she continued. "I'm sorry that you have feelings for me that are not reciprocated. It is obvious to me, now more than ever, that I made the right decision. I can't wait until this case is over and I can leave for Oregon. I can't get away from you quickly enough right now to suit me."

Booth swerved the SUV over to the side of the road and slammed it into park, putting the flashers on. He turned to Brennan, practically shaking he was so angry. "That's it, Bones. I'm done with babying you. I'm sorry I jumped to the wrong conclusion back there. I just don't like seeing any other man with his hands on you. I didn't mean to call your professionalism into question; I was just pissed. You make me crazy!" Grabbing her face in his hands, he turned her face towards him. "Regarding my "unreciprocated" feelings…tell me you don't feel this!" He crashed his lips into hers with a passion born from years of wanting her. He didn't care if she wanted this kiss, or not. He didn't care if she kicked his ass, it would be worth it. He didn't even care if she decided never to speak to him again after this. He had wanted this, wanted her, forever it seemed, and he wasn't taking "no" for an answer right now. To hell with the consequences, he was going to kiss the woman he loved like she had never been kissed before. He could feel Brennan trying to keep herself from responding to the kiss, but he wasn't going to allow it. He forced her lips apart, forcing his tongue deep into the warm recesses of her mouth. He could feel her begin to respond as her tongue met his in a fierce battle of wills. Unwillingly, her hands moved to his head, where she wrapped her fingers through his hair, forcing him even closer. There were years of pent up frustration and longing in this kiss. This certainly wasn't the way he imagined their first real kiss. He wanted it to start sweet and soft, building the passion as it went along. There was nothing sweet or soft about this kiss. This was a kiss that defined angry passion. Finally, when the need to breath became too great, he pulled back, resting his forehead against her for just a moment while he caught his breath. Releasing her face from his hands, he gently pushed her away from him. "Why don't you examine that, Dr. Brennan," he said.

He pulled the SUV back out onto the highway, staring at the road straight ahead. He didn't look over at her; he couldn't take the rejection that he knew was going to be all over her face. Yes, she had responded to the kiss, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. No, his safest course of action right now was to ignore her and give her some time to process the new information she had just been given.


	16. Chapter 16

Booth and Brennan arrived at the White House twenty minutes later, neither one of them having said a word since the kiss. They had to go through four different check points before they were finally allowed to go up to the house. There were two Secret Service agents waiting for them at the side entrance to lead them to the First Family's quarters. They were escorted through the house and into an elegant living room.

Seated on the couch were President and Mrs. Richardson. Director Cullen was there, as were several people in dress military uniforms and, of course, even more Secret Service agents. The conversation quieted when Booth and Brennan entered the room.

The President stood and walked towards them. Extending his hand, the President grabbed Booth's hand in a firm grip. "You must be Special Agent Seeley Booth. I've heard good things about you from Cullen." He offered his hand to Brennan, next. "Dr. Temperance Brennan. It is a real pleasure to meet you. Both my wife and I are fans of your books, and I appreciate your help more than I can tell you." He looked at them both for a moment. "You already know why you are here, so I am going to cut to the chase. Bringing our daughter back to us is our number one priority. We are devastated by the loss of our colleagues, but I expect your full attention devoted to finding our daughter and bringing her back home to us safely." President Richardson turned away briefly, struggling to maintain his composure. "The animals who took her are brutal, and every second Amy is with them is pure torture for us. I need you to bring her back to us. I've read both of your files, and I'm confident that you two and your team are the best there is." Walking back to the couch, the President sat back down and took his wife's hand. "Now," he said. "Tell me what you have been able to find out so far."

Brennan and Booth looked at each other, not sure who should begin first. As they stared into each other's eyes, the unspoken communication they had perfected over the years came back to them. With a slight nod from Brennan, Booth began. "Since it has already been determined that the same people who killed the three victims also took Amy, we have the team at the Jeffersonian working on their bodies. They are working as quickly as they can to find any evidence that may help us develop a list of suspects and narrow down a search area. We have determined the manner of death for all three victims, and identified the weapons used in the attacks. Dr. Brennan and I went to Amy's school today, and Dr. Brennan was able to determine their escape route. We have teams following the route now to gather any evidence the kidnappers may have left behind."

Looking at the President and the First Lady, Brennan said, "We are all focused on bringing your daughter back home. My team is composed of the finest scientists I have ever had the privilege to work with. As we speak, my colleagues are examining every piece of evidence that has been collected to make sure that we don't miss anything that might lead us to her. I understand that the kidnappers have made the ransom call. I will need a tape of that conversation as soon as possible so that my team can begin to extract any information it can provide about their location and their motives."

The President looked at Brennan thoughtfully. "It appears that my sources were correct when they told me that you are very confident, and very direct. Those are traits I admire, especially now. The ransom call came about an hour and a half ago, Dr. Brennan. General Norman will fill you in on all the details."

Looking at Booth and Brennan with distain, General Norman said, "Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan, we have the CIA's best electronic analysis team working on the tape of the ransom call and the Secret Service following up all leads. When we have the results of their examinations, I'll be sure to pass them on. We only want the Country's most proficient experts working with this most sensitive evidence. I'm sure you understand."

Booth stiffened at the General's words, and started to move towards him. Brennan calmed with him with a hand to his arm. "General Norman," she said. "The President has made it very clear that finding his daughter is his number one priority, as it is ours. If you want the finest electronic analysis team in the Country working on that tape, then you will provide it to me without further delay. Time is of the essence here, and I don't have time to argue with you. I'm sure that your facilities and personnel are adequate, but this situation calls for the best. I appreciate the efforts of the military and the Secret Service, but to be honest, _you_ are the reason we are here. Amy Richardson was taken out of her school, with a military guard standing outside each exterior door, and Secret Service agents in the halls. How Amy was abducted right out from under your noses is a mystery to me. Given the level of proficiency demonstrated so far, I'm sure you will excuse me if I prefer to have my own team working on this. I will expect that tape on my desk within the hour."

Turning to President and Mrs. Richardson, Brennan said, "If there is nothing further, Agent Booth and I need to get back to the lab, if you don't mind. There isn't a minute to waste, and we need to get started."

President Richardson rose from the sofa, with the first genuine smile on his face since his daughter had been taken. "I can see now what Cullen meant when he said you were a force to be reckoned with."

Turning to General Norman, President Richardson said, "General, get that tape to the Jeffersonian now. I don't want to hear a single hint that you have delayed in providing Dr. Brennan and her team anything they ask for."

President Richardson again took Brennan's hand in his, and pulled her toward him so that he could speak quietly in her ear. "Find my baby, Dr. Brennan. The kidnappers have asked me for something that I cannot do, even to save my daughter's life. They want me to withdraw all of our troops from Iraq by the end of the week, which is impossible. I would do anything to save my daughter, but this isn't even a logical request. Anyone would know that even if I could pull out our troops out just like that, there is absolutely no way it could be done that quickly. I can't meet their demands, and we are very quickly running out of time."

"You have my word that we will do everything possible to find her, sir." She said. "Now, if you will excuse us, Agent Booth and I really need to get back to the Jeffersonian."

As Booth and Brennan left the room, they were escorted to the SUV by the same two Secret Service agents who had brought them into the White House. As they drove out of the White House grounds, Booth turned to Brennan with a smile. "Well, Bones, I don't think General Norman is going to get over that any time soon."

"I must admit, it did feel pretty good to tell that overbearing, egotistical man off. I really hate being patronized, and he was doing a pretty good job of it." She said. "Speaking of being overbearing and egotistical, I owe you an apology, Booth. I feel badly about our earlier conversation. I didn't mean to make light of the feelings you have professed for me, and I want you to know that I appreciate your honesty. You know I'm not good with emotion, Booth. You are always the one that I turn to when I need help in deciding how to react in emotional situations. I can't come to you this time, since you are the person I am trying to decide how to react to. I find myself very confused, which is not particularly unusual for me in emotional situations. I wasn't being completely honest with you when I said that your feelings were unreciprocated. I don't really know how I feel right now. Before we talked on the plane, my feelings were easy to understand. I was angry and hurt. Once I understood how the entire situation developed, I started to lose some of the anger. You brought it all back up again when you accused me of "hooking up" with Alex Weaver."

Taking a deep breath, she continued. "I understand how that situation must have looked to you, so I understand your behavior. I don't condone it, but I understand it. No matter what happens between us, you need to treat me with respect. If you have a problem with my actions, then wait until we are alone to discuss it. You embarrassed me in front of my friend, and I didn't appreciate it. I'm really very confused right now, Booth. That kiss…it took me by surprise. I don't know how to process this. I need to focus all of my attention on this case right now. I am exceptionally good at compartmentalizing different areas of my life, but I need to be able to concentrate fully on this case, with no distractions. Can we just focus on the case now, and sort everything else out later?"

Booth couldn't believe it; she was finally opening up to him! It had been eight long months of almost no communication, and he finally felt like there was a real connection between them again. He knew he had taken his life in his hands when he kissed her; he was just glad it had paid off. Sometimes, with Bones, you had to shock her into looking at things from another angle.

Taking his eyes off the road for just a moment, he turned to Brennan. "I appreciate everything you just said, Bones, and you are right. At least about some of it. The way I spoke to you in front of Weaver was disrespectful, and I'm sorry. I have to admit that I was jealous. I'm glad that you aren't angry with me anymore, and I promise to try my best not to ever put you in that kind of situation again. I know you think that love is nothing but a biological impulse, but you are wrong. You need to process things before you come to any decisions. I get that. Spend some time thinking about us, Bones. Let your emotions get the better of you, for once, and open your heart to the possibilities. Think about your family. You have me, your squints, your father and your brother. Your family is here, and this is where you belong. Don't run away from this by going to Oregon. I can't force you to take a chance on me…on us. But I _can_ tell you that if you do have feelings for me and you don't give us a chance, you will always regret not knowing what might have happened." Taking a huge leap of faith, Booth reached over and grabbed Brennan's hand. "We have been partners for four years. For most of that time, you have been my best friend. We have shared things from our pasts that we haven't shared with anyone else. We mean something to each other. I know what you mean to me; now you need to figure out what I mean to you. All I want from you right now is your promise that you will think about all of this. I know that this case takes precedence over everything else right now, and that is the way it should be. We have plenty of time to deal with everything else. I'm not going to rush you. I think that the past four years have shown you that I'm a very patient man."

Booth knew when it was time to leave well enough alone. She hadn't moved her hand, which was still entwined with his, and at least they were talking again, thank God! "Alright Bones, let's get our priorities back in order and focus on the case. We have _got_ to get Amy Richardson back, alive."

Brennan let out a breath she didn't even know she had been holding; she definitely needed time to process everything they had just said to each other. It seemed like things were moving very quickly, all of a sudden. She was incredibly relieved that Booth understood her need to focus solely on the case, for now. She couldn't think about anything else right now; Amy Richardson's life was at stake, and Amy deserved their full attention. Still, she was glad she and Booth had this conversation. Things were still not totally comfortable between them, but they were much further along than she had thought possible.

As they pulled up in front of the Jeffersonian, Booth let go of her hand reluctantly as he turned to get out of the car. They walked in together, with his hand at the small of her back, as always. Brennan smiled at the familiarity of it. She had to admit, it did feel good to feel like their friendship was back on fairly solid ground.

Brennan made her way up to the platform to see what Jack had been able to find with the particulate evidence, and Booth headed to his new office to review the case files again. As he read through the files, he kept coming back to one thought: how were they able to get so close to such high profile people? The members of the Administration always had security around them, in one way or another. And, Amy Richardson was taken from a public place, with Secret Service agents present. How could this happen? Also, the gun that was used to hit Marilyn Johnson was military issue, and also used by various branches of law enforcement. Was it possible that the killers were part of the security teams that were supposed to be protecting these people? Booth's stomach clenched at the thought. He took his job very seriously, and considered it an honor to serve his country. He had seen instances before where agents went rogue, and it made him sick. He knew one thing: if it was one of one of their own, he would make sure they paid for this.

Brennan found Jack at his station, excitedly waving a folder at her. "Tempe, I think I have found something that might help! I found soil in the air duct at the school that had some very interesting elements. The soil was a mixture of clay and various botanical elements. There were traces of pollen from a species of plants that are only found in very specific areas. They are primarily native to the West Coast, in upstate Oregon, to be exact. But, there is one area in Maryland where some of these plants were transplanted several years ago as part of an ecological experiment. I think that these people spent some time in Greenberg, Maryland, where these plants are located. I also found the same trace evidence at the scene of Marilyn Johnson's initial attack."

"Fantastic work, Jack," said Brennan. "This has got to be the break we are looking for. We need Booth here for this. There may be something in the case files that connects to this area."

Brennan left the platform and headed to Booth's office. She told him about Jack's findings, and he told her of his suspicions that someone in the security detail assigned to protect these people was involved. Jack's findings gave him a starting place, and he immediately contacted the FBI to begin the background checks on the agents assigned to provide security to the members of the Administration, and to Amy Richardson. He also had them check to see if any of the agents owned property or had any kind of connection to Greenberg.

Angela waited for Booth to finish his call before walking into his office. "I have analyzed the tape from the ransom call, and I think I have isolated some background sounds that might help us narrow down our search field. The call was made using a disposable cell phone, and the caller was outside when he made the call. He used some kind of vocal distortion unit to mask his voice, but I was able to isolate and remove the voice and concentrate on the other sounds. I want you both to listen to the recording, but I think that I have figured out what I heard in the background. It sounds to me like running water. It doesn't sound like just the normal flow of a stream or river, though. It sounds like a very rapid flow, like rapids where you go whitewater rafting. I have sent the audio file to your PC. Open up the file and give it a listen, and let me know what you think."

"That's great, Angela," said Booth. That is exactly the kind of thing that is going to help us focus on a specific area. Can you do some research to see if you can pinpoint an area in or around Greenberg where we might be able to find a body of water like that?"

"Sure thing, Agent Hot Stuff. I'm on it!" Angela gave him her trademark cheeky grin as she left the room.

Booth pulled up the file, and he and Brennan listened to the sounds intently. Maybe their impressions were swayed by what Angela had told them, but they both agreed with her evaluation. It sounded like rapidly running water to them, too. Brennan looked over at Booth with a smile; she was starting to get excited. They still had a long way to go, but at least now she felt like they had something to work with.

"Grab your stuff, Bones," said Booth. "We need to get to Greenberg. If Jack is right about this particulate evidence, and Angela is right about the water, then there is a very good chance that Amy Richardson is being held in that area. It is very rural, and there would be any number of places where they could hold her, with no one the wiser. Hopefully we will get more information from the background checks while we are on the way. I'm calling in for backup; I plan to have my people canvassing the area as quickly as possible."

"Why don't you just have the area flooded with agents, Booth?" Asked Brennan. "Wouldn't it be better to have as many people searching the area as possible?"

"Normally, the answer to that would be yes, Bones," he said. "In this situation, I'm just not comfortable in alerting people that I don't feel comfortable with. I have a gut feeling that there are agents involved in this whole mess, and I'm not sure if they are FBI, CIA, Secret Service, or what. I don't want to tip them off that we are on to them if it can be helped. These guys are going to be very well trained, and deadly. We are going to need the element of surprise on our side. No matter what, it is going to be extremely dangerous, and I'm going to need you to listen to me when we find them. I won't take the chance of you getting hurt again. If you are not going to let me call the shots on this one, then I'm going to have to leave you here."

Brennan looked at him angrily, getting right in his face. "Don't you dare patronize me like that, Booth. I am extremely capable, and I can take care of myself. I'm not going to take any unnecessary chances, and I will listen to your instructions at the scene. You have more experience than I do in hostage situations. You can't just leave me behind, anyway. I know where you are going. Remember, I have all the same evidence you do. If you don't want me coming with you, then I will just get there on my own. The choice is yours."

Booth took one look at her stubborn and pissed off expression, and laughed. "You're right, Bones. I don't know what I was thinking. You, not follow orders? Absolutely unheard of!"

His expression quickly became more serious. "Of course you are coming with me. I know you would just head out there on your own, and I'll feel much more comfortable if you are where I can keep an eye on you. I do trust you in these situations, but you know as well as I do that you take too many chances. Just promise me that you will listen to me, and stay back when I tell you to."

"I promise, Booth," she said. "Now can we quit talking about this, and get moving already? Every minute that passes for Amy Richardson has got to be like an eternity. I want that child safely returned to her parents."

"Sure thing, Bones. Let's head out."


	17. Chapter 17

Two hours later, they pulled into Greenberg. They drove to a diner where they had arranged to meet the agents that Booth had hand picked to take part in the investigation. Booth, Brennan and the five FBI agents sat down at a large table, and spread out a map of the town. Jack had given them the exact location of the area where the plants were to be found, and there was a river running through that area that had areas of rapidly flowing water.

Booth had received information from his calls to the FBI that there was a Secret Service Agent who had a tie to the area. Agent Matthew Marks had a brother who owned a house in the area. The brother didn't live there full time; it was a vacation home, and it was located in close proximity to the area Jack had identified.

They now had a good idea that Marks was somehow involved. They had no way of knowing yet if he was directly involved, or if he had told someone else about the house. They were unable to track down Marks. He had been on vacation for the past week, and no one seemed to know where to find him.

Marks had a distinguished service record, and there was nothing in his file to indicate that he had any sympathies towards Iraq, or had any strong feelings about the war. It was possible that if he wasn't involved, he could be a hostage. They just didn't know what to expect, at this point.

They had arranged for a local SWAT team to work with them when they stormed the house. Booth wanted to set up surveillance on the house, first. He wanted to make sure they got all the information they could about the occupants of the house before they went in.

As the plan came together, they decided that Booth, Brennan and the five agents would surround the house, taking precautions to make sure they were not seen by the inhabitants. They would watch the house until they were able to determine what they were dealing with. Once they got the information they needed, they would call in the SWAT team and swarm the house.

They headed out to the house, Booth and Brennan taking the lead. They all set up their positions surrounding the property, and settled in to watch the house. They brought infrared imaging equipment, which they used to determine the number of people inside the house. Booth counted four people; three appeared to be on the main floor of the house, and the fourth person seemed to be on a lower level, probably the basement. This was good news. It was likely that Amy was the person in the basement, which meant that they had a pretty good chance of taking out the three suspects without endangering Amy any further.

The windows were all covered, so it was impossible to get any idea about what was going on in the house. This made them all a little nervous; they had no idea about what kind of fire power they might have inside. They were just going to have to take their chances. They had no idea how unstable these people were, but the ransom demand was one that they knew was not possible. The danger to Amy Richardson escalated with every moment they waited.

The SWAT team arrived, and got into position. At Booth's signal, the SWAT team moved in, with Booth and the other FBI agents right behind them. As expected, Booth had made Brennan promise to wait in the car until the house was secured. The SWAT team fired stun grenades into the windows on all sides of the house, and crashed through the doors, front and back.

The three men in the house were not going down without a fight. Brennan jumped out of the car and ran towards the house when she heard the first shots ring out. By the time she reached the door, the shooting had stopped. The three captors were dead, and two of the FBI agents were down. Looking around for Booth, Brennan finally found him, slumped against the wall, holding his right arm close to his side. Brennan knelt down beside him and realized he had been shot.

"Booth, my God, you've been shot!" she said, reaching out to examine his arm.

"Very observant, Bones. Nothing to worry about; it's just a graze. Look, its not even bleeding that much." Brennan felt almost sick with relief. She really didn't think she could take him getting seriously wounded again.

"Has anyone gone into the basement to find Amy yet?" She asked.

"I don't think so, Bones. They have been focused on securing the weapons before anything else," Booth responded.

"I'm going after her, Booth," she said as she stood up.

"Not so fast, Bones. Help me up; I'm coming with you," said Booth.

They made their way down into the basement, where they found Amy Richardson, alive. She was handcuffed to a bed, but otherwise appeared to be unharmed. Amy saw the FBI jacket, and realized she was safe. As Booth unlocked the cuffs, Amy threw herself into Brennan's arms, sobbing hysterically.

Booth watched as Brennan sat on the bed, soothing the frightened young girl. "Its ok, Amy. We've got you now. Your father sent us to find you; your parents have been so worried about you!" Brennan just sat there, holding the crying girl and stroking her hair.

Booth smiled watching the two of them. If there was even anyone that Brennan could relate to, it would be a scared young girl. Booth had never heard the specifics of Brennan's time in the foster system, but he had an idea that it was pretty bad. He didn't know why Brennan thought she was not good with children; she really was. Very good. They seemed to be drawn to her, in a way. Even though Booth was a parent, he knew that he would not be nearly as good at calming the child as she was. She just sat with her, holding her in her arms and letting her cry. Within minutes, Amy seemed to recover a bit, and let them lead her upstairs and out of the house. They all got into the SUV, and Booth pulled out his phone which he handed to Amy. As she called her frantic parents, Booth and Brennan smiled at each other. It was over.

They drove Amy back to FBI Headquarters, where President and Mrs. Richardson were waiting for them in Cullen's office. The reunion was everything it should have been, and Booth and Brennan felt an incredible sense of accomplishment in being able to make it possible. The President and his wife both hugged Brennan and Booth with tears rolling down their faces.

"Dr. Brennan, Agent Booth. How can we ever thank you? You have done your country a great service, and we won't forget this. You have our undying gratitude," said President Richardson.

Booth shook the President's hand with a smile. "I just provided the muscle, sir. Dr. Brennan and her team are the ones who figured out where they were holding Amy. I'm glad we were able to help."

Brennan smiled at the President, saying "Booth is, as usual, being way too modest, Mr. President. My team may have narrowed down the area, but Agent Booth is the one who was able to identify the suspect and find the house. We are a team, and it is the combination of our talents that makes us so successful. Amy is a wonderful girl, and we are so happy that things ended so well."

After a few more minutes of congratulations all around, the First Family left. Cullen looked at his best team, shaking his head. "I was an idiot to pull you from the field, Dr. Brennan. You and Booth have forged a team that is unstoppable. We could not have done this without both of you. You are correct, Dr. Brennan. It is the combination of you and Booth that makes you so successful. You are not going to find that in Oregon. I would like you to reconsider your decision. We need you here, working with the FBI. If you will agree to come back, I would like to make you an offer. I know that you may be reluctant to consider returning, given the way things happened eight months ago. If you come back, I give you my guarantee that you and Booth will never again be forced to undergo partners' therapy. We were just trying to make this team stronger, but that is obviously not necessary. You will be returned to active field status, and I may even reconsider letting you have a gun. I know that Dr. Goodman would welcome you back to the Jeffersonian with open arms. Just tell me you'll think about it."

Brennan wasn't ready to make any decisions yet, about Booth or their partnership. "I'll consider your request, Director Cullen, but I'm not making any promises. I have made a commitment to the University of Oregon, and I don't break my promises lightly. I will let you know my decision as soon as possible." Turning to Booth, she said, "Booth, would you mind giving me a ride back to the Jack's house? The team is all there, celebrating the end of the case. I'm exhausted, and would like to get some rest."

"Sure thing, Bones," he said. "Director Cullen, if it is alright, I'm taking the rest of the day off."

"Go be with your squints, Booth. You have certainly earned a little time off. In fact, take the rest of this week, and next week, as well. I know you like to save your vacation time to spend it with your son, so we'll just consider this as time out in the field on another assignment. I'm assigning you to spend the next week and a half trying to convince Dr. Brennan to come back. I can't think of a better assignment for you at this time. Now, get out of my office. I'm sure you two have some catching up to do."

Booth and Brennan walked out to the SUV for the ride to Jack's house. Brennan turned to Booth, saying, "Don't think that that you are going to be able to convince me of anything, Booth. I make up my own mind."

Booth just laughed, slinging his arm around her shoulders. "I wouldn't dream of it, Bones. I'm just looking forward to a little paid time off with my favorite squint."

They arrived at Jack's, to find a party in full swing. Jack, Angela and Zach were in the living room, dancing to incredibly loud music. It was obvious from several empty champagne bottles scattered around the room that they had been celebrating for awhile.

"Sweetie!" Cried Angela. "Come on in and grab a glass! We tried to wait for you, but we didn't know how long you would be, and we were in serious need of a party." Angela grabbed Booth's hand, and dragged him into the room. "Come on, Agent Hot Stuff. Dance with me!"

Booth laughed at the drunken artist, and said, "Sorry, Angela. Hodgins over there is giving me the evil eye, and besides, there is a certain Forensic Anthropologist I have been waiting for eight months to dance with."

Zach looked at him in horror. "Agent Booth, I don't think that would be appropriate. Sure, I like you, but I don't think it would be appropriate for us to dance together!"

Booth looked at Zach in shock, while Brennan, Angela and Jack all laughed. "I don't think Booth was talking about you, Zack," said Brennan. "You aren't the only Forensic Anthropologist in the room, you know."

Booth took Brennan in his arms, and they began to dance. Jack and Angela soon joined them, and Zach sat on the couch, drinking champagne straight out of the bottle.

The friends spent the rest of the evening drinking, dancing, laughing, and just enjoying being together again. As Brennan looked around the room at her friends, she realized that Booth was right. These people were her family.

**A/N: So, what do you think? Should I keep going with this story, or end it here? Thanks to everyone who has been kind enough to review. The reviews have tapered off in recent chapters, so I'm not sure if anyone is still interested in this story. Please let me know what you think!**


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, except Thompson.

The party lasted well into the night, so Booth stayed over in one of the guest rooms. Thompson set up a lavish spread for breakfast the next morning, even though they had all had too much to drink the night before, so the thought of food wasn't exactly attractive to any of them. After coffee and asprin all around, they all dug into the wonderful food.

Deciding that now was as good a time as any to bring it up, Jack spoke to Brennan, "So, Tempe. Now that the case is over, what are your plans? Are you still going to stay with us for the next couple of weeks?"

"That is still my plan, if that is alright with you and Angela," said Brennan.

"You know we would love to have you stay for as long as you like, but I would like to propose an alternative plan," said Jack. "I have a great beach house at the Outer Banks, and I thought maybe we could all spend a week there. Ange and I could use a little R&R, and Zach is in desperate need of a tan. I've checked with Cullen, and there is no problem with Zach leaving the area with us. He isn't scheduled to begin his therapy sessions for another two weeks, so that won't be a problem."

He looked over at Booth, who was looking a little concerned at the thought of Brennan leaving again. "Booth, I'm including you in this, too. Since Cullen gave you some time off, we thought this would be a great way to spend some time together and relax. You can even bring Parker, if you can get Rebecca to agree to let him come. This is our last chance to spend time with Tempe before she leaves for Oregon, so we want to make the most of it."

Booth was instantly excited. He loved the beach, and it would give him time with Brennan, and maybe Parker, away from everything. He knew that Parker would love it, too. "I'm in, Jack," he said. "I can't think of a better way to spend some time off. I don't know about Parker, though. He has school, and I'm not sure that Rebecca would let me have him. If we decide to do this, I'll give her a call. It can't hurt to ask."

"What about you, Tempe?" asked Jack. "Can we talk you into spending a little quality time with us at the beach?"

"It sounds great to me, as well, Jack. You can count me in. My shoulder and ribs still need some time to recover, and a week at the beach would be very relaxing," she said. Brennan had always loved the beach. Some of the best memories she had from her childhood were of vacations spent at the beach with her parents and Russ every year. There was just something about being at the beach that made all of your cares seem to melt away. She didn't know what it was; the smell of the ocean, the sound of the waves crashing against the shore, the wonderful salty breeze that comes in over the water…it all combined to make the beach one of her favorite places to be.

Once they all decided to go, Booth called Rebecca. It turned out that Parker had the next week off from school anyway, so she agreed to let him go. Booth was thrilled; he would get to spend a whole week with Parker. Rebecca had gotten better about letting him spend time with Parker, but he didn't often get the chance to have him for a whole week at a time. Not to mention the fact that it would be the perfect opportunity to show Brennan what she would be missing if she moved to Oregon. He knew how much she loved her friends. They were, after all, her family. Spending a week all together would _have_ to make Brennan realize how much she would miss them all if she moved so far away.

The rest of the day was filled with packing and planning. Booth and Brennan left early in the afternoon to pick up Jack's BMW from the Jeffersonian. Brennan drove the car back to Jack's house, while Booth went home to pack, and then to pick up Parker.

Booth and Parker arrived at Jack's house, where they would spend the night before leaving for the beach early the next morning. Parker was amazed; he had never seen a house so big. Thompson took Parker, Booth and Brennan on a tour of the house, which took them the better part of two hours. In addition to the pool and the billiards/game room, there was also a bowling alley in the basement. Even Brennan was impressed. Parker held on to Booth's hand on one side, and Brennan's hand on the other as they walked through the enormous house. He was afraid to let go; if he got lost in this house, they might never find him again!

As they finished their tour, they returned to the dining room to find everyone waiting for them, and a huge meal laid out on the table. Parker's eyes grew wide as he looked at all the food. Dropping the hands he had been holding throughout the tour, Parker ran to Angela. "Miss Angela! Where did all this food come from? I'm starving! Are there any chicken nuggets for me?" he shouted.

Angela laughed, lifting the excited little boy into her lap. "I think that Thompson had his magical helpers make all of this food for us, and I'm starving, too! I don't know about the chicken nuggets, but I'll bet we can find lots of things you might like. What do you think; do you want to try some of this great food?"

"You bet, Miss Angela. Everything looks so good that I can't decide what to have." He turned to look at his Dad and Dr. Bones, who were sitting across the table from him. "Daddy, I don't know what to eat! I think I might explode if I try everything."

Booth laughed, looking at his son's wide eyes. He knew the staff had gone all out on dinner hoping to impress Parker; it wasn't often they had an excitable five year old to cook for. "Why don't you let me fix you a plate, Bub?" he said. "I think we can keep you from exploding if we just let you try a little bit of everything."

"Ok, Daddy," Parker said, looking at him doubtfully. "But be sure that I get lots of that macaroni and cheese over there."

Parker got out of Angela's lap, and came over to where Booth and Brennan sat. As he walked around the table, he stopped at Brennan's chair. Looking up at her with his adorable brown eyes (just like his father's), he tugged on her sleeve. "Dr. Bones, can I sit with you?" he asked.

Brennan looked at him in surprise. She knew he liked her and felt comfortable around her, but it shocked her that he would want to sit with her. She smiled, and said, "Sure thing, Parker. Why don't you climb up on my lap while your Dad fixes your plate?"

Zach looked over at his mentor with a puzzled expression. "What's wrong with the plate, Dr. Brennan?" he asked. "You said that Agent Booth would "fix" his plate. I don't see anything wrong with the plates, and Agent Booth doesn't have any tools that would be required to repair a broken plate."

Brennan smiled at Zach, shaking her head. She knew that it wasn't so long ago that she took everything as literally as he did. "The plate is fine, Zach. I used the term "fix" to imply that Booth would place food on it for Parker to consume. It is an expression, which I understand can be very confusing."

Booth snickered under his breath. He never thought he would see the day when Brennan, of all people, would be explaining her use of an expression to someone as literally minded as she was.

Apparently Booth wasn't the only one who found it amusing. Parker walked over to Zach, and patted him on the arm. "It's ok, Dr. Zach. Sometimes I get confused too."

Jack, Angela and Booth cracked up, while Brennan watched with a smile. It felt so good to be back with her family, and she knew she was going to enjoy the time that she spent with them.

The next morning, everyone woke up early and again met in the dining room for breakfast. They were all excited; they had never had the chance before to vacation all together. Angela was beside herself; this would be her chance to make Brennan realize her feelings for Booth. She knew that Booth had told Brennan he loved her. Angela decided that it was her job to make sure that during their vacation, Brennan would admit her love for him, as well.

After breakfast, it took some time for everyone to finish packing and to load everything into the cars, but finally they were ready to go. They decided to take two cars, with Brennan, Booth and Parker riding in one, and Thompson, Jack, Angela and Zach in the other. The drive was long, but it was a beautiful day, so no one minded the trip. Parker was so excited to be spending a week at the beach with his Dad and Dr. Bones that he could hardly contain himself. They kept him entertained with a DVD for the first couple of hours, and then with his video games after that. About an hour before they arrived, he finally fell asleep.

They finally arrived at the house, and were stunned at the size of the place. The house was amazing; it was about half the size of Hodgins' house in Washington, which still made it the largest house on the island. It was absolutely beautiful. The house had three stories, and was Victorian in style. The back side of the house was mainly glass, and looked out over the pool and the ocean below. It was situated on several acres of prime beachfront property, so they had a private beach to themselves, which stretched for miles in either direction.

Thompson had arranged for a small staff to be waiting for them when they arrived, so the cars were unloaded quickly. Everyone headed into the house to claim rooms, with Parker running in ahead of everyone else. Racing up the stairs, Parker ran up to the third floor. Running to the end of the hall, he threw open a door and found himself in a room that was straight out of a fairy tale. The outside wall was rounded and had a huge window looking out over the ocean. Angela had painted a beautiful ocean themed mural on one of the walls, and the comforter on the bed had a design of sea horses and starfish. He quickly claimed this room as his own. Luckily, there was a large bedroom right next door that connected via a bathroom situated in between them, so Booth took that one. Brennan chose the room right across the hall. Jack and Angela took the master suite on the second floor, and Zach chose a room on the opposite end of the hall from theirs. Thompson had his own suite on the first floor. He spent more time at the house than Jack and Angela did. He loved the beach, so he usually managed to spend at least one weekend a month there.

Once everyone was settled in, Thompson called them down for lunch. Lunch was wonderful; Thompson had fresh seafood brought in from one of the local markets, so everyone enjoyed sampling the local delicacies. The dining room also looked out over the ocean, so they enjoyed the view while they ate. It was like being at an exclusive beach side restaurant.

Once they finished lunch, everyone threw on their bathing suits and headed out to the beach. Thompson had set up chairs and umbrellas for everyone, and brought out lots of beach toys for Parker to play with.

Brennan and Zach settled under one of the umbrellas, both with books in their hands. Jack and Angela spread out a blanket under another umbrella, and took turns putting sunscreen on each other before laying down to take a nap.

Parker was way too excited to settle down, so he and Booth took off into the ocean. Parker's laughter and screams made everyone smile as they watched Booth playing with Parker in the water. After awhile, Parker and Booth came out of the water and started to build a sand castle. It wasn't long before Zach and Jack got interested, and came over to help.

Angela moved over to the chair next to Brennan and sat down. "So, Sweetie, are you having a good time?" she asked her friend.

Brennan smiled at Angela, and said, "I'm having a great time, Ange. This trip was a wonderful idea, and will give me the chance to relax before I start my new job. I can't imagine a better way to spend a week than being here with my family."

Angela grew serious for a moment. "Are you really still planning to leave, Bren? I know you accepted the job and all, but aren't you just a little bit temped to stay here with us? You and Booth seem to have patched things up, and it just isn't going to be the same at home without you. Cullen and Goodman have made it clear that they would both love to have you back. I miss my best friend."

"You and Jack don't even work at the Jeffersonian anymore, Ange. What would there be for me to come back to? You guys have made new careers now, and I need to do the same."

"Don't be ridiculous, Sweetie," said Angela. "The only reason we left the Jeffersonian was because you weren't there anymore. Jack and I have talked about it, and we both miss the important work that we all used to do. Jack loves his teaching, and I love having more time for my art, but it just isn't enough for us. We miss knowing that we were really doing something worthwhile with our lives, and we miss you. If you come back, then we will come back, too. Just think about it; it could be like it used to be. Me, you, Jack, Zach and Booth all working together as a team again."

Brennan was surprised; she had no idea that Jack and Angela would want to come back to the Jeffersonian. She thought they loved their new lives. "Are you serious, Ange? You and Jack would really give up everything you've built over the past eight months just to come back to the Jeffersonian?"

"I'm not saying we would give up everything" Angela said. "I enjoy spending more time on my art, and Jack does love teaching. We would work out something where we make time to do both. It's not good for any of us to be so consumed by murder and violence. I think we could all find a happy medium that would allow us to help catch killers, and still leave some time for us to do other things. Sure, we would have to be focused when we have an active case, but that leaves a lot of time for us all to be able to work on other stuff. Jack could teach a couple of classes at the Jeffersonian, and I could set up a studio there where I can work on my art. Jack wants to get Zach involved in his teaching, and you have your writing. We can all find a way to do the things we love."

Brennan looked at her for a long moment before she spoke. "I can't say I'm not tempted, Ange. I've thought about coming back, but I'm conflicted. I've made a commitment to the University of Oregon, and I feel obligated to honor that commitment. They have already been gracious enough to wait for me to recover from the crash. Also, if I came back, I would be right back in the same situation. My work with the FBI became the most fulfilling part of my career. If I came back, I would again be at the mercy of Booth, Dr. Goodman and the FBI. I don't like the thought of anyone having that much control over my life any longer. Booth could, at any time, decide he doesn't want to work with me anymore, and my time in the field would be over. Dr. Goodman could decide that he wanted my time fully devoted to the Jeffersonian, and he could pull me out of the field. Cullen and the FBI could decide that they didn't want me working with them, and sever our relationship. If I come back, I have no power over my own fate. I can't do that again."

"Sweetie, you are going to face that situation where ever you go, in one way or another," Angela said. "Think about it a minute. If you go to work at the University, the administration has some control over what you do. If you decide to work as a consultant, your work will depend on other people hiring you. If you decide to write full time, your success will depend on the reading habits of your fans. None of us can exist without others having some kind of control over parts of our lives. You can't let that stop you from being where you want to be, and doing what you want to do. You have all the power now. Goodman and Cullen both want you back, badly. You can make your own terms with them."

Knowing this was going to be the difficult part of the conversation, Angela took a deep breath. "As far as Booth is concerned, that is a whole different situation. Booth would do anything to have you back. Working without you has been a nightmare for him, and he has been miserable. This whole situation has made him realize how much he needs you, his partner, working by his side. His conviction rate has gone way down, and you can tell just by looking at him that he doesn't have the passion for his work that he did when you worked together. You have to know that he didn't create this situation. He was just doing what he always does; trying to look out for you. Yes, he should have come to you first, but he made a mistake. We all make mistakes." Reaching over to Brennan, Angela took her hand. "Aside from the work, Booth is miserable without you in his life. He told you that he loves you. I can say, without a doubt in my mind, he does. That man loves you with all of his heart, and he will be devastated if you leave again. I know in my heart that you will never find someone who loves you like Booth does. I also know that you love him, just as much. Parker loves you, too. Don't let your pride keep you from living the life you deserve."

Brennan looked at her friend, with tears in her eyes. "I just don't know what to do, Angela. I need some time to think about all of this, and decide what I am going to do. I know you are right, but it doesn't make it any easier. I was hurt, badly. That doesn't just go away. I'm hoping this week will help me get some perspective and figure it all out. I'm not sure what I feel for Booth. I promise you that I'm not taking any of this lightly. The fact that you, Jack and Zack would all be willing to come back if I decide to stay means the world to me. I know that I couldn't do it without you all if I did decide to come back."

Deciding it was time to leave it alone for now, Angela grabbed Brennan's hand and dragged her out of the chair. "Enough serious talk, Bren. Let's go have some fun with our boys!"

Brennan and Angela made their way out to the water, and dove in. They swam around for awhile, just enjoying the warm salty water and the waves crashing around them. As they rolled onto their backs to float and enjoy the sun, their plan was foiled by three sneaky predators. Before they knew it, they were attacked by Booth, Jack and Parker. Booth swam up under Brennan, and lifted her into the air. He lifted her above his head, and threw her into the water. When she came up for air, Parker attacked, his small fingers finding her sides as he tickled her, laughing hysterically.

Angela wasn't doing any better. Jack came up behind her and grabbed her, throwing her over his shoulder and making his way back to the beach. He dropped her on the blanket they had shared earlier, and started shaking his curly hair at her, showering her with drops of water.

Zach looked up from his book, smiling at his friends. As he watched them laughing and playing, he thought about how lucky he was. This time last week, he was sitting alone in a hospital, with no hope of ever again having a normal life. Thanks to his friends, he had his life back, and he was grateful.

**A/N: Thanks again to all of the wonderful people who have reviewed this story. I'm really enjoying writing it, and I'm glad you are enjoying reading it!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing connected to Bones or these characters.**

They played in the water until the sun started to set, and then made their way back into the house. Thompson had clean towels waiting for them by the shower next to the pool, so they all rinsed off the sand and salt water and then made their way into the house for real showers and clean clothes.

They were all starving, so they decided to meet in the dining room for an early dinner. As Brennan made her way to her room to shower, Angela was waiting for her at her door.

"Sweetie," she said. "We are dressing up a little tonight, to celebrate our first night here. Wear the green dress I packed for you."

Brennan was surprised. She thought dinner tonight was going to be very casual, especially since they had Parker with them. "Don't you think the green dress is a bit much for tonight, Ange?" she said.

"Not tonight, Bren. It is not formal, but dressy. Just wear the dress. You'll thank me later." With that, Angela left and headed to her own room to get ready.

As Brennan made her way to the dining room, she was met at the door by Angela. "Sorry Bren," said Angela. "We are all dining in here, but you have other plans this evening. Your dinner is waiting for you poolside, so off you go." Angela gave her a gentle push toward the door leading out to the pool.

Brennan was shocked. What had she done? Had she offended them all somehow? Looking back over her shoulder at Angela, Brennan said, "What are you talking about, Ange? I want to eat in here with everyone else. Why do I have to eat alone outside?"

Angela just laughed, and gave her another push towards the door. "Don't worry, Bren. You won't be eating alone, and Jack and I are taking care of Parker tonight."

Wondering what Parker had to do with anything, and shaking her head in frustration, Brennan walked out to the pool, where she saw a table had been set for two in the middle of the pool deck. The entire pool had been surrounded by candles, and there were lights strung in the trees surrounding the pool. Soft guitar music sounded from the outdoor speakers. The table had a beautiful flower arrangement in the middle, also surrounded by lit candles. There was an ice bucket next to the table, containing a bottle of wine. The only other light was provided by the moon, which shined brightly in the clear night sky. The candlelight, the soft, salty breeze blowing in across the water, and the sound of the waves crashing on the shore all combined into a beautiful, incredibly romantic atmosphere.

As she stood there, taking it all in, Booth emerged from the shadows behind the trees. He walked toward her, carrying a single rose in his hand. As he approached, he gave her one of his patented charm smiles and offered her his arm. "Temperance, may I have the pleasure of your company for dinner this evening?" he asked, handing her the rose.

Her breath caught as she looked up at him. This really wasn't good. She was supposed to be figuring things out objectively on this vacation, and all rational thought was quickly slipping away from her. He pulled her close as he escorted her to the table, and she couldn't help but be a little overwhelmed by his proximity. As he guided her into her chair, she caught his scent in the air and inhaled deeply. He smelled incredible; she had forgotten how much she enjoyed the way he smelled. It reminded her of all the late nights they had spent at one of their apartments eating Thai food and arguing over cases. She had an almost overwhelming sense of how much she missed their friendship.

As Booth sat across from her, Thompson came out from the house carrying a tray of food. He placed bowls of soup in front of each of them, and a basket of bread between them. "Good evening, and welcome to Chez Montenegro. For your first course, we have a wonderful seafood bisque, made using only the freshest local seafood. Your entrée will be grilled shrimp, served in a spicy tomato sauce, over angel hair pasta. And then for dessert, we have chocolate mousse, with brandy infused whipped cream." Smiling at them, Thompson continued, "For our wine selection this evening, we have a modest Chardonnay that should serve as a wonderful compliment to the food. Would you like me to pour for you?" he asked.

Booth looked up at him and nodded, "Certainly, Thompson. The menu sounds incredible, and this bisque looks amazing."

Thompson poured the wine, and backed away from the table. "I'll return shortly to bring your next course."

Thompson went back into the house, leaving Booth and Brennan alone under the moonlight. Brennan's heart was pounding. This was too much; the atmosphere was so romantic, and the evening so perfect, that she was having trouble remembering all the reasons why she was still angry at Booth. She desperately tried to control her breathing, and remind herself why it would be such a mistake to acknowledge her feelings for the man sitting across from her.

Booth could tell that the romantic atmosphere was having the desired effect on her. Her features were soft in the moonlight, and her eyes were sparkling. He reached for her hand across the table, and entwined his fingers with hers. With his beautiful, chocolate brown eyes shining at her, he said, "You look absolutely beautiful tonight, Temperance." Lifting his glass, he said, "I would like to propose a toast: may tonight be a fresh start for us. I love you with all of my heart, and I hope that we can find our way back to the closeness we shared."

Brennan's heart jumped into her throat. She smiled at him as she raised her own glass. "I hope that we can, too," she said. "I'm still trying to sort out all of my feelings, but I can't deny that I am drawn to you. For a long time, you were the person I trusted most in the world, and I miss our friendship. I'm very confused by my feelings; but right now, I just feel close to you."

Booth stood up, still holding Brennan's hand. "Come dance with me, Temperance," he said.

Looking up into his eyes, Brennan knew there was nothing else she would rather do. As she stood, Booth let her to the middle of the deck, taking her into his arms. He moved the hand that he was still holding to his chest, and put his other arm around her waist, drawing her to him. She moved her other hand up to the back of his neck, allowing her fingers to stroke his skin.

She was lost in the moment. The soft music, candlelight, sounds of the ocean in the background and the scent of Seeley Booth were overwhelming. So, she let herself go.

As they swayed to the music, Brennan laid her cheek against his chest. She could feel his heart pounding and his muscles twitch as she moved against him. After a few minutes, she raised her head and looked up at him.

Booth looked down into her eyes, surprised at their change in color. While they were normally a rich, deep blue, tonight they looked almost black. He could tell that she was feeling _something_. Her heart was beating rapidly, and her breathing was shallow. He knew that this was his chance with her. Taking a deep breath, he decided this was the time. He lowered his head, and pressed his lips gently against hers. He waited for a moment to see what she would do. He knew he was taking a chance, but he couldn't help himself. His desire for her was overwhelming, and he needed her to know the depths of his feelings for her. When she didn't push him away, he decided to take a chance and deepen the kiss. As he moved his lips against hers, he felt her acceptance, and her desire. Her lips opened to him, and his tongue slowly crept into her mouth.

Her arms tightened around him, as she met his tongue with her own. Their tongues slowly caressed each others, as time stopped. They stood there, in the middle of the deck, totally lost in each other's touch. Booth's hands caressed Brennan's back, as her hands moved to the sides of his face and then to the back of his head, where she tangled his hair through her fingers. After what seemed like hours, they parted when the need to breath became too much.

As they stood, looking at each other, Brennan started to smile. She looked into his gorgeous eyes, and found all of the answers she needed. She was shocked by the intensity of his gaze. In his eyes, she saw love, desire, admiration and most importantly, respect. She knew that he wouldn't ask her to give more than she could, at this moment. And at this moment, that was enough to convince her. She wanted him.

Breaking the spell, Booth took her hand again and led her back to the table. He knew she needed time to process things. "We can't let all of this wonderful food go to waste, Bones," he said.

They ate their dinner, and enjoyed each other's company. They told each other stories of their adventures since they had last worked together. When they got to the time of the crash, Brennan asked Booth a question. "Why did you do it, Booth?"

Booth looked at her in confusion. "Why did I do what, Bones?"

"Why did you, Angela and Jack come to find me? I left you all eight months ago. Why did you still care enough to come all the way to Argentina to find me?" she asked.

Booth looked at her, tenderly. "How could we not try to find you, Bones? We all love you. You and Angela have been friends since college, and love each other like sisters. Wouldn't you have done the same for her?" he asked.

"Of course I would. But Angela is different. She has a spark that draws people to her. People love Angela. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for her. Sometimes she is the only one who makes me think that I am part of the human race. "

"Temperance," he said. "You honestly have no idea how much the people in your life care about you. You are Angela's best friend. There isn't anything she wouldn't do for you, as well. Hodgins? You saved his life when you were buried by the Gravedigger. You two have a connection that goes way deeper than friendship. Zach? You are his mentor, his hero. For God's sake, you got him out of the mental hospital! He loves you without a doubt."

Booth paused, and then took a breath. "As far as I'm concerned, I love you. I've always loved you, going all the way back to our first case together. I tried to deny it, but it didn't work. With every case, it just got stronger. I love you. I always have, and I always will."

Brennan looked at him in shock. "What do you mean, going all the way back to our first case?" she said.

"Remember that day at the firing range, when you challenged me to "be a cop"? He said. "I wanted to kiss you then. I was right in your face, and you didn't back down. You challenged me, like no one else had in a long time."

"What about Tessa?" she asked. "What about Cam?"

"Tessa was someone I cared deeply about, but she didn't challenge me. We just weren't right for each other. When I started working with you, things changed between us. She knew that something had changed, and she guessed that it was you. We were a couple, so I tried my best to hide my growing attraction to you. I tried to convince myself that she was who I wanted, but it just wasn't true. Finally, we had to give up. It was no use pretending that she was the one I wanted to be with." Booth took a deep breath before continuing. "Cam was a different story. She and I had a relationship back in New York, which ended with us still friendly. When she came to the Jeffersonian, we were both lonely, so we got together for a "no strings attached" relationship. We decided that we would just have sex, with no expectation of a relationship. I had convinced myself that you and I could only be partners; that I wasn't good enough for you. After Epps, I decided that it was too dangerous for me to have a relationship with anyone I worked with, so I drew the line and stopped sleeping with Cam."

He took her hand again. "As time went on, I began to realize just how ridiculous that line was. I had reasoned that people in our line of work couldn't get too close, since it would just make all of us more vulnerable. You and I became emotionally just as close as any two people in a relationship could be. You and I were already vulnerable because of the depth of our friendship. Once I realized this, I started to think that maybe the line shouldn't be there any longer, and that maybe I should try to tell you how I felt. I had actually made up my mind to tell you, and then I got shot, and the whole Zach situation happened. I knew that your emotions were raw, and I didn't want to add to it. At least that's what I told myself. The truth is that I was a coward. I didn't know if you shared my feelings, and I still thought that I wasn't good enough for you. I was afraid to lose you, so I kept my mouth shut."

Brennan looked up at him from over her glass. "What made you change your mind?"

Booth was confused, "Change my mind about what?" he asked.

"At the airport, you told me you were in love with me. I understand why you decided to throw caution to the wind and tell me how you felt since I was leaving, but what made you change your mind about not being good enough for me? Don't get me wrong, the idea that you aren't good enough for me is laughable, but I'm just curious as to what made you change your mind about that?" she asked.

"I decided that I had to know. If you didn't share my feelings, or thought that I wasn't good enough, then I needed to know. I have loved you, wanted you, for too long. It was tearing my heart out, slowly but surely. I had to know how you felt, and if I was tearing myself apart for nothing." He said.

She tightened her fingers in his. "Booth, I felt the same way about you before everything happened. When I found out that you weren't really dead, and hadn't told me, I felt like I had been betrayed by my closest friend. I felt like I wasn't good enough, or important enough, to be told the truth. I was coming to grips with that, when we found out about Zach. That _really_ made me question my abilities. After all, I was Zach's mentor. I was the person he looked to for guidance. The thought that my influence had _anything_ to do with his choices made me question everything. And then, being pulled from the field was the last straw. I felt like no one trusted me, including you. I felt like my usefulness at the Jeffersonian and the FBI was finished."

She continued, "I've been in love with you for quite awhile, Booth. I knew we couldn't cross your "line", so I dated other people trying to find some kind of companionship. It never worked. I kept comparing everyone else to you, and no one else measured up. It is amusing to me that you thought that you were not good enough for me. You are an exceptional man, and any woman would be very lucky to have you in her life. I'm the one who has the emotional depth of that tree over there. I'm better than I used to be, thanks to you, but I still don't communicate with people well. I tend to deal in scientific facts, and I'm uncomfortable in the realm of emotion. I don't know what to say when my friends are hurting, and I don't know how to be a good friend. I'm terrified at the thought of beginning a relationship with you, since I don't know how to have a real relationship. I have no experience in long lasting relationships. My own family left me; I don't know how to make sure that I don't push the people that I love away from me again."

Booth rose from the table, holding out his hand. She took his hand, and he pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly. "You don't push the people you love away, Temperance. You have Angela, Hodgins, Zach and me, not to mention your father and your brother. You haven't pushed anyone away. The fact that your family left you is due to their bad choices, not anything you did to push them away. You can't push me away, I won't let you. The harm done to our relationship was my doing, not yours. I'm the one who made a serious error in judgment, and I intend to spend the rest of my life making it up to you, and making sure that you know how much I love you. I don't care how different we are, or how hard it is for you to let the people who love you into your life. Angela, Hodgins, Zach and I are not going anywhere. You are an exceptionally good friend. You would do anything to protect your friends, and you are always there for them when they need you. How many times have you comforted Angela when she was upset about something? You have always been there for Zach, teaching him and guiding him along the way. You and Jack share a bond that few friends have. Friends are all about quality, not quantity. You don't have many people who are close to you, but you take care of those who are. We all love you and value the place you hold in our lives, even though you can be an infuriating, stubborn pain in the ass at times!"

As they stood in the moonlight, Booth stroked her back with his strong hands. "I think we have made some real progress tonight, Temperance. I know how you process things, so I know you need some time to think about all of this before you decide if you want to take things to the next level. It's getting late. May I walk you to your door?"

Brennan smiled at his gesture. "Of course. You are nothing if not a gentleman, and a gentleman always escorts his date to her door at the end of the evening."

They walked inside, and headed up the stairs towards their rooms. As they reached Brennan's door, she turned to Booth. "Is this the point where you try to work up the nerve to kiss me goodnight?" she asked with a smile.

Booth answered with a smile of his own. "For some reason, I feel relatively confident that you won't hurt me if I try to kiss you. But, even if I didn't, it would be worth the risk."

He gathered her into his arms, holding her tightly. He lowered his lips to hers in a kiss that literally took her breath away. His lips moved gently against hers at first, then more forcefully as their passion grew. As they lost themselves in the kiss, she felt him hardening as their bodies pressed together. She was shocked at the emotions that were running through her. The kiss was tender, urgent and passionate, all at the same time. Her head was swimming, and she quickly became incapable of coherent thought. The kiss seemed to go on forever, but was over too soon.

As they broke apart, Booth gently caressed her cheek with his fingers. "Thank you for tonight, Temperance. I'm going to my room now, while I can still walk." When he reached his door, directly across the hall from hers, he turned back to her. "I love you, Temperance, and hope that you decide we are worth taking a chance on. I'll see you in the morning."

As he closed the door behind him, Brennan sagged against her own door. Tonight had been almost magical. She was overwhelmed with her emotions, and she knew it was going to be a long time before she got any sleep. Could she do it? Could she take a chance and try a relationship with him?

She changed into her pajamas, and headed into the bathroom to brush her teeth. Digging through her bag, she realized she had forgotten to bring any toothpaste. She looked through the cabinets, but couldn't find any. She really needed to brush her teeth, so she decided to knock on Booth's door to see if he had any.

She walked across the hall and knocked on his door. Before her hand had a chance to move back to her side, the door was flung open, and Booth grabbed her around the waist, pulling her into his arms. His mouth descended on hers in a kiss so passionate that it shocked her. Her senses were on overload. Everything else fell away, and there was just the two of them. Their mouths crashed together, and their lips parted instantly, allowing their tongues to meet as they explored each other. Booth's hands were everywhere, and Brennan could feel her knees weakening; it was only Booth's arms around her that held her firmly in place. She felt a wave of desire building so strongly that she was incapable of concentrating on anything but him. He filled all of her senses, and her entire body trembled. His hands, his mouth, his scent were everywhere, and there was nothing else. His erection was rock hard, and pressing on her pelvis, seeming to demand her attention. Her own hands began to move, as her fingers crept up his bare chest, exposed by the shirt he had unbuttoned before she knocked on his door. Her hands moved around to his back, caressing his firm skin and tracing the muscles rippling underneath. As his mouth moved to her breast, she couldn't stop herself. She reached down to stroke him through his pants.

Her touch seemed to break whatever restraint he may have been trying to maintain. He lifted her into his arms, and carried her to his bed.


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing connected to Bones or these characters.**

A/N: This is a shorter chapter, but I think (hope) you might like it. This is my first attempt at writing smut, so I apologize if it is awkward. Any suggestions for improvement are greatly appreciated!

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They fell on the bed together, still wrapped in each other's arms. Booth couldn't take it anymore; he _had_ to have her. He had waited so long for her, and she had admitted that she felt _something_ for him, too. He continued to explore her body with his hands and his mouth. He hungrily kissed his way down her neck, savoring the flavor of her skin. He had certainly touched her skin before, but never before had his hands seemed to be on fire when he touched her. He was intoxicated by her; he felt almost lightheaded from the strength of his desire.

Suddenly, Booth stopped. He looked at her in shock, as if he was just now realizing where they were and what they were doing. "Temperance, I'm so sorry. I know you need time to process all of this, and I really didn't want to rush you into anything. It's just that when I opened that door, and saw you standing there, my control just snapped. I've wanted you for so long."

Brennan raised the hand that had been fumbling with his belt buckle seconds before to his cheek. "It's fine, Booth. I want this, too. I may not know how to define all of my feelings yet, but I know I want this; I want you. You aren't rushing me into anything. We have waited four years for this moment. Don't you think we've waited long enough?"

That was all he needed to hear. As he lowered his lips to hers, his hands started working on getting her shirt off. All of a sudden, there were way too many clothes between them. His shirt hadn't made it from the doorway to the bed, but Brennan was still fully clothed. He raised her tank top over her head, and then reached down to pull off her pants. Within seconds, she was naked beneath him.

Brennan desperately needed to feel his skin against hers. She used her body to flip them so that she was straddling him, and she quickly set to work removing the rest of his clothes. Once his clothes were gone, she took her time exploring his body. Still straddling his hips, she ran her hands over his broad, muscular chest, enjoying the way his muscles rippled under his skin as she touched him. Using just the tips of her fingers, she caressed her way down his chest to his stomach, where she placed soft, wet kisses moving down his stomach to the skin just above his pubic hair.

She changed course, and turned her attention to his legs, causing him to groan in agony. She stroked and kissed her way down one leg, and then up the other, arriving back at where she started. She used her fingertips to gently stroke along his long, hard erection. She heard his breath quicken as she touched him and his penis jumped in her hand as she lengthened her strokes. She moved herself down his body until she was laying between his legs. Taking his thick shaft into her hand, she began to gently pump him, making his already rock hard erection throb even harder. She took the head of his penis into her mouth, gently sucking and biting around the tip. She savored the taste of him. She had never before found the act of performing fellatio very enjoyable; it was usually something she did to insure that her partner was ready to perform. This was different; she wanted to do this, and found that she loved it. The fluid that leaked from the head of his penis tasted like honey; it tasted like he smelled.

Booth couldn't take it. Unless he quickly changed course, this encounter was going to be over before it even began. He reached down, and grabbed her under her arms, lifting her back up to him. He brought her face to his, devouring her mouth with a fierce kiss that took her breath away. He quickly flipped her underneath him, and began his own exploration of her incredible body.

Lowering his head to her breast, he circled her nipple with his tongue, while caressing and gently pinching her other nipple with his skilled fingers. The sensations were overwhelming her, and she threw her head back against the pillows and moaned loudly. This only made Booth concentrate more fully on the task at hand, so to speak. He moved his mouth to her other breast, causing her to moan loudly once again.

He loved her responsiveness to him. It seemed like her body responded every time he touched her. Her reactions excited him; he loved that _he_ was the one coaxing those sounds from her. He moved from her breasts, and caressed his way down her body until he reached his goal. Circling her clit with his fingers, he could feel how ready she was for him. She was dripping wet, which excited him all over again; _he_ did this to her! _He_ made her feel this way! He inserted a long finger inside her, stroking her walls gently. He added another finger, and began slowly pumping them within her, enjoying her gasps and moans, and the way her hips bucked toward him. Spreading her apart gently, he replaced his fingers with his tongue, which he alternated thrusting inside her and then withdrawing to lick and nip at her clit.

She could feel her orgasm slowly building with each thrust of his tongue. She had certainly had other lovers perform oral sex on her, but it had never been like this. She lost all awareness of anything other than his mouth, and his hands. She was totally lost in the sensations; all she could feel was her building orgasm, and her pounding heart. Her violent orgasm came as a shock; she didn't realize she was that close. She was so lost in the sensations she didn't even realize she was right on the edge. Her orgasm was so intense, she thought she was shattering. She convulsed violently, screaming her release. This was too much. She felt herself falling apart as tears streamed down her face. She had never felt anything this intense, ever before. Her emotions were raw, and she was on sensory overload. Even the air on her skin felt heavy.

Booth realized she was going to need a minute to recover, so he raised himself and took her in his arms. He cradled her, stroking her hair and whispering to her to calm her down. He kept repeating, "It's ok, Temperance. You're ok. I love you."

After a few minutes, she calmed. Pulling back from him slightly, she looked up at him in wonder. "I'm sorry, Booth. I don't know why I reacted like that. It's not like I haven't had orgasms before, but I've never experienced anything like that. I don't understand why this was so different, and why I lost control so completely. I never lose control."

"It's ok, Temperance. That's what happens when you make love to the right person. Remember that conversation we had about how making love could be—when you could break the laws of physics? That's what this was. Two people coming together when the emotional bond is as strong as the physical sensations. This is what making love is all about; losing control and losing the sense of where you end, and your partner begins. I'm not saying it will always be this intense, but if we stay connected the way we are now, it will be close."

"Teach me, Booth. Teach me what it's like to really make love. Teach me how to break the laws of physics again," she said.

Booth laughed, and moved so that his penis was pressing against her entrance. "You are a very quick study, Temperance. I don't think it will be long at all before you are an expert in breaking the laws of physics."

With one smooth stroke, he entered her fully. He was lost in the sensation as he buried himself in her tight, warm depths. He fit within her like she was made for him. As he thrust into her, her hips moved to meet each thrust with her own. She felt like he couldn't thrust hard enough, fast enough, deeply enough to quench the burning need she had for him.

She grasped his hips, pulling him to her more forcefully. "Harder, Booth; faster. Please!" she cried.

The sound of her voice begging him was more than he could take. He sped his pace, pounding into her as she met each of his thrusts. He knew he was close, and he hated it. He wanted this to last forever, but he was just too far gone. He couldn't hold out much longer.

Suddenly, her walls began to tighten around him. He could tell that she was getting close, as well. He couldn't stop it; he was going to come any second. He had always prided himself on his control, but with her, he had none. He needed her to come with him, and there wasn't much time. He reached his hand between them, pinching her clit as he pushed into her. She screamed again as her body was rocked with another orgasm, even stronger than the last. As she convulsed around him, he let himself go finally, crying out her name. The force of his ejaculation shocked him; as his seed pumped inside her, he felt like it was never going to end. It felt like he was pouring himself into her, leaving nothing left. The clenching of her walls milked him until there was nothing left.

They were both totally spent as he collapsed on top of her. After a few moments, he regained enough composure to ask, "Are you ok, Temperance? Am I hurting you?"

She laughed as she looked up at him. "You have done many things to me tonight, Booth, but hurting me is not one of them. I love feeling your weight on top of me. I love feeling you inside me. I feel like I could stay like this forever."

Her words were like a balm to his heart. He loved the way he felt inside her, and the fact that she loved the way he felt inside her made his heart swell with pride. He loved this woman. Looking down at her, he asked a question, "Temperance, when we are together, making love, or just being intimate in any way, do you think you might try calling me Seeley?" He didn't understand why he wanted this; he usually hated the sound of his first name. For some reason, he wanted this from her. He wanted her to connect with him, Seeley, not Booth. Booth was the name the rest of the world called him. He wanted her to know him—all of him—and hearing his given name coming from her lips was part of that.

She looked up at him shyly, and said, "Seeley. It sounds a little strange; all I have ever called you is "Booth". I'll try, but I can't make any promises. I think we are both well aware that you have an amazing ability to make me forget my own name, let alone yours."

He laughed as he pulled her closer. "That's ok, Temperance. I'll take what I can get."

As they lay together, their breathing slowed as they relaxed. Finally withdrawing from her, he rolled over to her side, and drew her to him. As her soft ass curved into his stomach, he felt at peace. Nestling his face into her hair, he fell asleep.

Brennan stroked the arm around her stomach as she thought back over what had just happened. Who knew that forgetting to bring her toothpaste would lead to such an incredible experience? As she lay snuggled against him, she knew. She loved him, too. For some reason, this didn't scare her like she thought it would. He had always protected her, and kept her safe. She knew he always would. So, with a smile on her face, she fell asleep.


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing connected to Bones or these characters.**

A/N: No smut in this chapter, but I thought it was time for Brennan to make some decisions. I promise that things will heat up in the next one!

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Brennan woke early the next morning, to find herself practically on top of Booth. She was laying on her side, with her face pressed into his neck. She took a deep breath and inhaled the scent that was uniquely Booth. She loved the way he smelled; if she could bottle his scent, she knew she could make a fortune. His arm was thrown over her back, holding her firmly against him. She could feel his warm breath from where his face was nestled against the top of her head, and she felt warm all over. She also felt amazingly well rested. Looking over at the clock on the nightstand, she realized she had slept for about 7 hours straight. She normally slept only a few hours a night before nightmares from past experiences, or stress from whatever it was she was currently working on would wake her.

She thought about how she felt about this. She waited to see if she was going to panic at the thought of what they had done last night, but she only felt a sense of calm and contentment. Making love to Booth had been one of the most amazing experiences of her life, and she actually felt great about it. There was no conflict since they weren't partners anymore, so there was really nothing holding them back from exploring the possibilities of a relationship. If she was honest with herself, she had to admit that not only did she love him, but he was still her closest friend. No other man had ever come even close to making her feel the things he did. Suddenly, she panicked. It was 7:00 a.m., and Parker was an early riser. She knew that the first thing he would do when he woke would be to run into his father's room, and it would not be a good idea to find her there.

She slipped out from under Booth's arm as gently as she could to keep from waking him and gathered her clothes from the floor. She dressed quickly and made her way back to her own room. Closing the door behind her, she breathed a sigh of relief – at least she had gotten out of Booth's room before Parker came in. She debated getting into the shower and then heading down to breakfast, but then decided she really wasn't ready to face anyone yet. She had quite a bit of thinking to do, and she certainly wasn't ready to face the inquisition she knew would be the first thing on Angela's agenda that morning. They hadn't seen anyone when they came back into the house last night, but Brennan had no doubt that Angela had been spying on them; she seemed to have made it her life's work to make sure that she and Booth got together.

Since she could really use some time to get her thoughts together, she decided to go for a run on the beach. She quickly changed and headed downstairs, hoping she wouldn't run into anyone on her way out.

She made her way down to the beach, did a few stretches, and then started her run. It looked like it was going to be a beautiful day, and she enjoyed the scenery as she ran along the water's edge.

As she settled into her rhythm, she started thinking about Booth, and what had happened between them last night. She couldn't believe they had actually slept together, especially not this quickly. She had fantasized about being with him since they started working together, but never really thought that they would ever try to develop anything more than a friendship. It surprised her how much better the reality was that the fantasy. She had a pretty active imagination, but she never guessed that she would have such an intense reaction to his touch. She supposed he was right; it was different when two people shared such a close emotional connection. The question was, what was she going to do now?

Just thinking about last night was causing her body to react. She could feel desire rising within her as she remembered the amazing way he had made her feel, and her shorts and panties were starting to cause a very pleasant friction as they rubbed against her clit, which was beginning to throb. This was not good; she needed to pull it together so that she could figure out what she was going to do. She had experienced great sex before, but nothing like this. She couldn't believe that just thinking about last night was getting her aroused all over again. She forced herself to get her mind back on the matters at hand. She had some serious decisions to make, and memories of last night were not going to make that any easier.

What about the new job in Oregon? If she did decide to try to develop a relationship with Booth, she would have to change her plans and remain in DC. If she stayed in DC, did she want to go back to the Jeffersonian? She had been looking forward to moving to Oregon, but why? Was she really excited about the new job, or was she just running away? What about Jack, Angela and Zach? If she did come back, she knew that Angela and Jack would probably come back to the Jeffersonian with her. Was it fair to put them in that position? They had made new lives for themselves, which they seemed to be enjoying. They were a team, and she knew that she wouldn't want to work with anyone other than them. What about Zach? Would the Jeffersonian let him come back with them? If not, what was she prepared to do about that? What about the FBI; did she want to work with them again? Would they let her continue to partner with Booth if they became a couple?

There were just way too many questions, and they were overwhelming. Normally she would talk with Booth or Angela when she needed to figure things out, but neither of them would be able to help her with this. She knew what neither Booth nor Angela would be objective; they both had their own motives for wanting her to come back. Zach? Definitely not; he was even more emotionally challenged that she was, if that was even possible. What about her father, or Russ? No, they wouldn't work, either. They were trying to rebuild some kind of relationship, but neither of them really knew her anymore, and they wouldn't know the background and the relationships involved to help her come to any decisions.

That left only one person she could turn to, Jack. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense to her. They had become closer after their shared experience with the Gravedigger, and Jack was a scientist. He would be able to help her organize the facts and come to rational, logical conclusions.

Just then, she saw someone jogging towards her. As the figure got closer, she realized that it was Jack. As he approached her, she turned and began jogging in the same direction so that they were running together.

"Good morning, Tempe. What are you doing up and out so early after your night with studly FBI guy?" he said.

She laughed, and said, "How do you know what we did last night, Jack? Wait a minute, I forgot who I'm dealing with, here. Of course Angela always knows everything."

"You know it, Tempe," he said. "She was spying on you guys the whole time you were on the deck. I finally had to pick her up take her back to the table to make her finish her dinner. Then, I practically had to drag her off to bed to give you guys some privacy."

"Why am I not a bit surprised?" said Brennan. She looked over at him for a moment, and then said, "Jack, I'm really glad to see you this morning. In fact, I was just thinking about you when I saw you coming towards me."

Jack laughed and said, "Tempe, that is _really_ not good. Booth is going to shoot me now for sure! You spend a hot night with him, and then you're thinking about me the next morning?"

"Don't flatter yourself," she said, laughing at him. "I was thinking that I have some pretty big decisions to make, and I need someone to help me think everything through. I was wondering if you might be willing to help me?"

"Of course I'll help you, Tempe. Are you sure you wouldn't rather talk to Angela about everything?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No, I know what Angela would tell me. She really wants me to come back to DC, and she really wants me to be with Booth. There is no way she could be objective in helping me figure out what _I_ want."

As they approached the house, they could see that Thompson had been busy. There were chairs and umbrellas set out on the beach already. "Why don't we grab a couple of chairs and talk out here? It will probably be awhile before everyone has breakfast and then heads out here, so we should have some time if you want to talk now." Jack said.

She looked at him gratefully, and said, "That sounds great, Jack. I really appreciate you doing this for me."

"Tempe, you are one of my closest friends. There is nothing I wouldn't do to try to help you. Now, let's get comfortable."

As they approached the chairs, they saw that Thompson had gone one step farther. There was a carafe of coffee and a basket of fruit and muffins set out for them. Brennan was amazed at his thoughtfulness. "Thompson must be psychic or something," she said. "How did he know we would be out here?"

"Thompson is a man of many talents, Tempe," Jack said. "Sometimes I think he knows what I'm thinking before I do. I'm not even surprised anymore when he does things like this. It's like he just _knows_ stuff."

They sat down in the comfortable chairs, and helped themselves to coffee and muffins. They took their time, enjoying their breakfast and the sight of the ocean in front of them. When they were done eating, they started to talk.

"I don't know exactly where to start, Jack," said Brennan. "You already know the whole situation, and you can probably guess all of the things that I need to figure out. I was so sure about moving to Oregon, but now it seems like I might be making a mistake if I go. My friends at the lab and Booth have become my family. I never thought that I would be tempted to leave until they pulled me from the field. Once that happened, I felt like my integrity had been called into question, and that there was nothing here for me anymore. I wasn't really thinking about leaving all of you, or how sad it would make me feel to realize that I wouldn't be seeing you all every day. Spending this time with you guys again has reminded me of how much you all mean to me."

Jack smiled at her and took her hand. "Tempe, you know that we all want you to stay with us. I'm glad that you came to me for help, but I have to tell you that I won't be able to be totally objective, either. You are my friend, and I want you to stay. I think you need to decide what you really want out of life. Before you went into the field with Booth, you were a different person. Getting out of that lab was the best thing that could have happened to you. I've watched you grow from an introverted scientist, with a very limited understanding of the outside world, to a much more complete and well rounded person. Your interpersonal skills have improved greatly, and you have started to let people who care about you into your life. You have been in some pretty nasty situations, but you are much more "alive" than you were before."

He took another sip of his coffee before continuing. "Let's start with this; why do you want to go to Oregon?"

She thought about it for a minute before responding. "I accepted the job in Oregon for several reasons. As you know, I resigned from the Jeffersonian when they pulled me from the field, so I needed another job. Also, I really felt like my abilities were called into question, so I didn't want to stay where people thought I wasn't capable of doing my job. I was so angry with Booth and everyone else involved that I wanted to be someplace as far away from all of them as I could get."

"Well," said Jack, "Let's take your reasons one at a time. First, the Jeffersonian would gladly take you back. Goodman knows he made a big mistake in listening to Cam, and she's gone now. No one at the Jeffersonian has any doubt about your abilities, and would never question your professionalism. In fact, I do believe Goodman would give his right arm to have you back. From what I hear, the lab is extremely dysfunctional with the new staff. I know that Cullen realizes his mistake, as well. Closing cases has become much more difficult for the FBI since you left, and I imagine he is getting a fair amount of pressure from above to get you back. I would think that you would be pretty much able to name your own terms if you wanted to work with them again."

"As far as Booth goes," he continued, "I think you are already on the way to working that out on your own. You don't know what he was like when you were gone, Tempe. He wasn't himself, by a long shot. He even stopped wearing his "Cocky" belt buckle. He was miserable without you, and he really beat himself up for listening to Cam and Sweets. He never wanted to hurt you, you know. He was only trying to do what he has always done, protect you. I think he has learned his lesson this time. I'd be willing to bet the Hodgins fortune that he will never again let anyone else try to tell him what is best for you. I think it all comes down to this, Tempe. What do you want to do? Do you think you would be happy in Oregon, away from the life that you have built here? Angela, Zach and I love you, and will always be there for you, no matter where you are. But, it won't be the same as having each other in our lives every day. The kind of closeness we all have comes from interacting with each other so much. If you leave, we will lose some of that, but we will do everything we can to stay in touch as much as possible. You know how it is, though. When you are not with people day in and day out, life sometimes gets in the way of friendships. I know we would all be much happier if you stay."

They sat in silence, sipping their coffee, as Brennan thought about what he said. He hadn't said anything that she hadn't already told herself. It really did come down to what she wanted. Did she want to stay and fight for her family, or did she want to start over in Oregon?

She had to admit that her feelings for Booth were a huge part of this decision. She was no longer angry at him. She knew that he really was trying to look out for her, and that he regretted his mistakes. She thought that Jack was right when he said that Booth would never make those mistakes again.

Suddenly, it was like a light went on in her mind. Of course she wanted to stay. She loved these people and she didn't want to leave them. It had taken her a long time to build her "family", and she didn't want to let them go. She had no real interest in the position at the University of Oregon. She loved the work that she did at the Jeffersonian, and she loved the work that she did with Booth. She wanted her life back, and she wanted the chance to see if she and Booth had a chance at making a relationship work.

The smile that lit up her face almost took Jack's breath away; it lit up her whole face. "Jack, I think this has been really helpful for me. I know what I want. I want my family; I want my life back. I let Cullen and the rest of them take that from me, and I want it back."

Jack grabbed her in a fierce hug. "I'm so glad you came to this decision, Tempe. You are going to make my Angela a very happy woman. I'm not going to be able to walk for a week once she gets done thanking me!"

Brennan had to laugh. "You know, that's what really made me change my mind. I just wanted to help your sex life!"

"Come on, Tempe. Let's go back to the house and let everyone know. I can just feel Booth and Angela staring at us from here." Jack said, grabbing her hand and leading her up to the house.

As they walked in, they were met at the door by Angela. "So, guys, did you have a nice chat?" she asked, tapping her foot impatiently.

They laughed, and Brennan said, "Don't worry, Ange. I wasn't trying to steal your man, Jack was just helping me come to some decisions."

Angela grabbed her hand and pulled her into the living room. As they sat down on the couch, Angela said, "Ok, Bren. Time to spill. You aren't the only one with questions. What happened with you and Booth last night? Did my evil plan work? Was hot, steamy G-man as good as he looks? What were you and Jack talking about? Did you make any decisions about what you are going to do?"

Brennan smiled at her friend, thinking about how much she loved Angela. She was incredibly lucky to have a friend like Angela. "Yes, your evil plan worked. Booth and I worked out our problems, and I think we are headed towards a really good place. Last night was pretty magical, in all kinds of ways."

Angela's squeal could be heard throughout the house, and they heard Jack laughing from the dining room. Angela was so excited that she was literally bouncing in her seat. "Tell me all about it! I want all the juicy, hot, gory details. Come on, Bren, I've been waiting for this moment for four years; you've got to give me something!"

Brennan told her about the evening, only leaving out the most intimate details. Angela was beside herself. "I just knew it would be like that for you two. I guess stealing your toothpaste was a good idea!"

"Angela!" said Brennan. "You didn't!"

"Oh yes, I did. You know there isn't anything I wouldn't do to get you guys together, and it seemed like a good idea at the time. I had no idea it would work that well!" Angela said.

Brennan laughed. Leave it to Angela to think of something so silly, that actually worked! "Ange," she said. "I have also come to some other decisions. I don't really want to go to Oregon. Jack helped me realize that my life is in DC, with my family. I don't know how I'm going to work it all out yet, but I'm staying."

This time, Angela's squeal could be heard all the way down to the ocean, scaring a flock of seagulls who were scavenging on the beach.


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing connected to Bones or these characters.**

Booth woke and rolled over, reaching out for Bones. When he realized he was in bed alone, he opened his eyes. Nothing. He was alone again. He laid there for a minute, realizing it had all been yet another dream. He felt a wave of disappointment wash over him. This wasn't the first time he had woken from one of these dreams, but it felt so _real_ this time. He sat up in bed, looking around the room. Wait…his clothes were thrown on the floor. He never did that, unless he had a very good reason. He laid back down, and rolled over, burying his face in the pillow next to him. Suddenly, he was overwhelmed by her scent. She _had_ been here…it wasn't just a dream. But, where was she? He signed in frustration; he knew what had happened. She left him, again. She freaked out when she woke up in his bed, and she took off. He would be willing to bet she was at the airport right now, waiting for a plane to take her away from here, away from him.

Just then, the door opened and Parker came flying in and jumped on the bed. "Come on, Daddy, time to get up! I want to go back to the beach. Get up, get up get up!" he said excitedly, jumping around the bed.

Booth reached up and grabbed his son, bringing him down to lay on top of him. He started tickling his sides, causing the little boy to shriek with laughter. "Ok Bub. Why don't you go down and get some breakfast, and I'll be there in a couple of minutes." He said.

"Ok, Daddy, but hurry! I want to build a sandcastle!" Parker said, as he jumped off the bed and hurried towards the door. "Don't be long, Daddy!"

"I won't, Bub. Now get downstairs before Zach eats all the breakfast!" Booth said, laughing.

Booth got up, and sat on the edge of the bed, his thoughts going back to Bones. He should have known this would happen. This is exactly why he knew he shouldn't have rushed her last night. He couldn't believe he was so stupid as to have let his heart overrule his head last night. Well, there wasn't anything to be done about it right now. He would just have to go downstairs and find out what was going on. He wasn't going to chase after her. He had made his feelings perfectly clear last night. If she left again, then she left having all the information. The next move, if there was one, was going to have to come from her.

Booth got ready quickly, and headed downstairs. He walked into the dining room, to find Angela, Zach and Parker having breakfast. Angela looked at him with a smile. "Good morning, studly. How was _your_ evening?" she asked, winking at him.

He sat down, and Thompson put a plate of food and a cup of coffee in front of him. "Thanks, Thompson. This looks fantastic!" he said.

"My evening was fine, Angela." He said, looking over at Parker. "This might not be the time to go into detail for you, though."

Angela laughed, and said, "Don't worry, I'll get all the juicy details out of you later."

As casually as he could, Booth said, "So, where are Jack and Bones this morning?"

Parker came over and jumped in his lap. He pointed out the window, and said, "There they are, Daddy. See? They are already on the beach, where we should be. We need to hurry, Daddy!"

Booth looked out the window, and sure enough, there they were. It looked like they were having breakfast, and they seemed to be deep in conversation. Booth felt the tightness around his chest starting to loosen. She _hadn't_ left. He didn't know how freaked out she was, but at least she was still here. He finished his breakfast quickly, and then headed upstairs to put his swim trunks on. Angela and Zach were going to take Parker down to the beach, and he would meet them in a few minutes. Booth was glad to have a few minutes alone before he joined the rest of the group again. He had to admit, he was a little nervous at the thought of seeing Bones this morning.

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After Brennan and Angela finished talking, Brennan headed upstairs to take a shower. She dressed quickly, putting on shorts and a shirt over her bathing suit. Once she was ready, she headed towards the door to head downstairs to join her family. As she opened the door, she found Booth waiting on the other side. Pushing his way into the room, he wrapped his arms around her, gathering her to him in a tight embrace.

He pressed his face into her neck, and rubbed his hands across her back. "Please tell me you don't regret last night, Bones," he said. "I know I rushed things, and I'm sorry. I've wanted you so much, for so long, that I just couldn't help myself. Please tell me I didn't scare you away."

Brennan stepped back, just far enough to bring her hands to his face. Raising his head to make him look at her, she said, "Look at me, Booth. I have no regrets about last night. You didn't rush me, and you didn't scare me away. I wanted last night to happen as much as you did." She smiled at him tenderly, caressing his cheek with her fingertips. "I love you, too, Booth, and I want a relationship with you. I can't guarantee that I won't freak out at some point, and I know that we want different things in a relationship, but I can promise you that I want this to work."

Booth couldn't believe it. She loved him? He had been sure that he was going to have to convince her that this wasn't a mistake. This brilliant, fascinating, beautiful woman really wanted to be with him?

Booth tightened the embrace, covering her mouth with his instantly. She deepened the kiss immediately, pulling him even closer. As his hands started moving over her body, she felt the familiar heat pooling in her core again. Her heart started to race, and her breaths became quick and shallow. "Booth, we need to stop this for now. Parker is waiting for us, and I already feel guilty that we didn't have dinner with him last night." Brennan said.

"You have nothing to feel guilty for, Bones. Parker had a great time with Zach, Angela and Jack last night, and they are taking him down to the beach this morning." He gently rubbed his hands up and down her arms. "What about Oregon? Are you still going?"

She smiled at him, leaning in for a quick kiss. "No, Booth, I'm not going to Oregon. I don't know what I'm going to do exactly yet about the Jeffersonian or the FBI, but I'm coming back to DC. I don't think we would have much of a chance of a successful relationship if I went to Oregon now, do you?"

He couldn't believe it; he was finally getting everything he wanted. "Bones, I know we can do this. We can figure all of this out, together. I'm just so glad you decided to give us a chance, and I promise that I will never let you down again."

"Booth," she said. "The past is the past, and I think I may have overreacted a bit. You didn't let me down, you were just trying to protect me, as usual. We are going to have to work on that. I know we can do this, too. You are my closest friend, and the sexiest man I have ever met. Making love to you last night just proved to me that we have a special connection. I've never felt with anyone the way I feel with you, and I'm not letting that go without a fight."

Booth's heart jumped into his throat. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. She _wasn't_ running, and she _wasn't_ freaked out. She was going to give them a chance! Suddenly, he couldn't wait any longer. He pulled her back into his arms, and devoured her mouth in a crushing kiss. He couldn't keep his hands still; he had to touch her. He had to feel for himself that she was real and not just another one of his dreams.

Booth's slid his hands under her shirt, slowly working his way up her skin to her breasts, which were straining against the fabric of her bikini top. His thumb traced her nipples through the fabric, causing her to gasp. God, he loved that sound. He brought his mouth to her neck, where he nuzzled into the spot just behind her ear that drove him crazy. She moaned as she threw her head back, allowing him greater access to her neck.

Brennan felt like she was melting under his fevered kisses. She could feel his erection pressing against her leg; he felt rock hard already. His hands were making her crazy, stroking her skin with a touch that alternated between frustratingly soft and slow, to almost rough and demanding. She brought up her own hands, and began to stroke him gently through his pants. The feel of him, so hard and ready for her, excited her in a way that surprised her. She had been with many men, but Booth seemed to be able to arouse her like no one else had. She felt her shorts becoming damp as her heart started to race.

Her hands moved to the top of his sweat pants, and she pulled them down his legs. Sinking to her knees, she used both hands to stroke him, loving the way his penis jumped under her fingers. He almost growled in pleasure, which made her even hotter. She took him in her hands, and brought him towards her mouth. Using just the tip of her tongue, she began circling the head of his penis while she continued to caress him with her fingers. She slowly brought his tip into her mouth, and began using her teeth to gently scrape the area underneath the tip.

Booth's hands were in her hair, gently caressing her head. His eyes were closed, and his head was leaned back against the door. They hadn't made it any farther into the room, and he was glad to have the solid door behind him for support. He had been shocked when she did this to him last night, and he was again amazed that his beautiful, brilliant partner was on her knees before him. He felt like he might explode at any moment. He reached down and stroked the side of her face. "Temperance," he said, "I can't take much more of this. If you don't stop, I'm going to come."

She looked up at him with a cheeky grin. "That's pretty much the point of doing this, Seeley. I want to make you come. I want to make you feel as good as you made me feel last night."

He reached down, and lifted her up to him. "Last night was one of the most incredible experiences of my life, Temperance. Believe me when I tell you that you have already made me feel better that I ever could have imagined." He lifted her into his arms and carried her over to the bed. He laid her down gently, and peeled off her shorts and bathing suit. He pulled her down the bed until she was laying right at the edge of the bottom of the bed, and he knelt in front of her. Grabbing her under her knees, he buried his face in her center as he began to gently lick her clit. The instant his tongue touched her, her hips arched off the bed and her eyes slammed shut. He moved his tongue in lazy circles as his hands massaged her legs. He moved one hand up her leg, and stopped right before her entrance. He gently inserted one finger inside her and began moving slowly pumping into her, following the same rhythm he set with his tongue.

She was moaning uncontrollably, and had the sheets tightly clutched in her hands as she tried to hang on. Booth sped up the pace, and began to suck and nibble on her clit as he added another finger inside her. Booth was in heaven. The sounds coming out of her mouth were making him even harder, if that was possible. He loved hearing her moan, and thought he was going to lose it when she began speaking. "Yes, Seeley, yes! Don't stop, please! Harder…faster!"

He was a man who knew how to take direction, so he sped up his pace and began furiously licking and sucking on her clit, while his fingers pumped into her forcefully. She tasted like honey to him, and he thought he was going to explode from the combination of her incredible taste and the sounds that were coming out of her beautiful mouth.

Suddenly the muscles in her legs tensed, and he knew she was close. He raised his other hand to her breast, where he pinched her nipple between his fingers. That did it.

Brennan's climax hit her with the force of a tornado. She felt like she came apart in his mouth as she arched off the bed with a scream. "Seeley!" she shouted. Her entire body trembled and she literally saw stars from behind her eyelids, which were tightly shut. She continued to shake as wave after wave of sensation continued to hit her.

Booth couldn't take it anymore. He pulled her farther up onto the bed, and straddled her legs. He positioned himself at her entrance and entered her with one smooth thrust. He had wanted to make this slow and gentle, but that option was out of the question. He pounded into her with a frenzy, which she matched as she raised her hips to meet each thrust. He knew he was going to come any second, and he didn't want to do it without her. "Come for me, baby. I want to feel you come with me inside you." He said.

She wasn't going to need much encouragement, she was already so close. He could tell by the way her legs tensed and her frenzied moans that she was almost there. He lowered his head to her breast and bit down on her nipple as he reached between them and pinched her throbbing clit. She screamed his name into his ear as she came apart, and he let himself go. He felt each contraction of her walls milking his orgasm from him as he emptied himself into her with an orgasm even more intense than last night's. With a final pulse, he collapsed on top of her, his breath ragged. She wrapped her arms around him and began gently kissing his neck.

When his breathing had calmed enough for him to be able to speak, he raised up a few inches so he could look into her beautiful eyes. "Temperance, you are a goddess. How about we just stay in here all day, and let Jack and Angela entertain Parker?"

Brennan laughed looking up into his rich brown eyes. "This vacation is for you to spend time with Parker, as well as with me. Since I'm planning on being a big part of your life from now on, I think it might be time for me to get to know your son. Besides, I promised him that we would build a sand castle today. So that means that you need to get off of me, and we need to jump in the shower."

Booth brought his head down and captured her lips in a passionate kiss that left her unable to breath for a moment when they parted. "Do you always have to be right about everything, Temperance?" He rolled off of her, and stood up. Holding out his hand to her, he said, "Come on then, you evil woman. If you won't let me ravish you all day, then I guess it is time for us to get downstairs." He took her hand as they moved towards the bathroom. As Booth started the shower, Brennan ran her hands over his muscular back. He really was a fine specimen of a man. His body was perfect; not an ounce of flab on him, and his muscles were very well defined. As she moved her hands down to his fabulous ass, she sighed in pleasure. She loved the way his tight cheeks felt under his hands.

"See something you like back there, Dr. Brennan?" he asked with a laugh. Turning around, he lifted her up and placed her in the shower. "We need to get you clean, you dirty girl." He moved her under the stream of water, and watched as she leaned her head back under the spray. He squirted some shampoo into his hands and began to massage her scalp as he washed her hair.

The feeling of his strong fingers massaging her head felt incredible. When he finished, she rinsed her hair and then stepped back to allow him to step under the spray. She grabbed a washcloth and the bar of soap, and began to wash his back. As he relaxed under her touch, he felt himself starting to get aroused all over again. "You keep that up, Temperance, and we won't be making it down to the beach any time soon," he said.

She laughed, and moved away from him. "We've been up here long enough, Seeley. Why don't we just hold this thought, and we can finish what we started later tonight."

They finished their shower and dressed quickly. As they made their way down to the beach, Booth reached for her hand, entwining his fingers with hers.

When they reached the chairs where everyone was gathered, Parker slammed into his legs. "Daddy! What took you so long? Jack and Angela took me to look for shells that we can use to decorate our sand castle!" He held out a small plastic bucket that was filled with all kinds of shells.

"Those look great, Parker," Booth said. "Why don't we go pick out the perfect spot for our sand castle, and then we can start building it."

Parker looked around at everyone sitting in the beach chairs. "I don't want it to be just us building it, Daddy. I want Dr. Bones, Zach, Angela and Jack to come help us!"

Parker ran over to Brennan, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the water. "Come on, Dr. Bones. You promised to teach me how to build a sand castle!"

Brennan squeezed his hand as they walked toward the water. "You're right Parker, I did promise. I think it's a great idea to get everyone to help. Why don't you go get everyone, and I'll start gathering up the tools we will need to build our castle."

When Thompson came out to the beach several hours later with lunch for everyone, he couldn't believe the sight before him. They had built a huge sand castle with a moat surrounding it, and the shells they had collected earlier decorated the castle on all sides. Jack and Zach were laughing at Parker, who had each of them by the hand and was pulling them out to the water. Angela was sitting in one of the lounge chairs talking to Brennan, who was laying on a blanket with Booth's head in her lap. They were the picture of a very happy family. Thompson smiled as he watched them all. He had worked for Jack, and his parents before him, for a very long time. He remembered the years after his parents' deaths where Jack had totally shut down, letting no one into his life. He was grateful to this odd assortment of people who had given Jack back a family. He had never seen his friend so happy.


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned any of these characters, but that is not the case.**

After lunch, they spent the rest of the day just enjoying the beach. Parker had been the center of attention all day, and everyone was exhausted from trying to keep up with him. By about 3:00, everyone was ready to go inside.

Brennan decided to go upstairs and get some work done on her book. Zach, Angela and Jack went into town to do some shopping, and Booth settled in to watch a movie while Parker took a nap.

Booth, who had fallen asleep about halfway through the movie, was woken by the ringing of his cell phone; it was Cullen calling to check in.

"Booth, how's it going with Dr. Brennan? Are you having any luck convincing her to come back?"

Booth bit back a chuckle at the hint of desperation in Cullen's voice. "It's going pretty well, sir. Dr. Brennan isn't sure what she is going to do about the Jeffersonian or the FBI, but she has decided to stay in Washington instead of moving to Oregon."

"Excellent job, Booth. I knew I could count on you to make her change her mind," Cullen said.

"I'm glad you're pleased, sir. I hope I can convince her to be my partner again when we return to Washington. There is no one else I'd rather work with, and I know my closure rate will skyrocket once she comes back."

"Keep me posted, Booth. You know how important this is. I've got the Director breathing down my neck to get her back. I'm expecting you to get things back to Norman around here, so don't let me down."

"You know me, sir. Give me a mission, and I'm all over it!" Booth joked.

After reviewing the status of a couple of ongoing cases, Cullen ended the call. Booth decided it might be a good time to go check on Bones. He knew she had been working hard on her book for the past few hours, so he thought this would be a good time to remind her that she was on vacation, and see if he could persuade her to spend some time with him.

He walked over to the door, which he had left cracked open. As he walked into the hall, he was surprised to find Bones standing right outside his door.

"Hey, Bones!" he said, flashing his charm smile at her. "I was just coming to see if I could pull you away from your book for a little while."

Brennan backed away from him like he was a dangerous animal. He saw the look on her face, and his heart sank. "Bones! What is it? What's wrong?" He was suddenly frantic; he knew something was terribly wrong, but had no idea what was going on.

Brennan just kept backing away from him until she was in her room. She slammed the door shut and locked it, sinking down onto the floor with her back against the door. She couldn't believe what she had just heard; Booth didn't love her. The whole thing had been a lie; it was just an elaborate ruse to get her to come back. How could she have been so stupid? How could she have believed him? She knew better; she knew love was just a fantasy.

Leaning her head back against the door, she sobbed uncontrollably. She felt like her world was crumbling around her. She had thought Booth was different; that he really _did_ care about her. She thought about the times they made love, and she felt sick. She remembered the look in his eyes as they had come together; he really was an incredible actor. She would have bet her life that his feelings were genuine. My God, how could she have been so gullible?

She tried desperately to calm herself; she _had_ to get out of there. Forcing herself to take several deep breaths, she got up off the floor and went into the bathroom to splash some cold water on her face. After a few minutes, she started to regain her composure. She grabbed her suitcase and quickly packed her things. There was no way she could stay here any longer; she couldn't stand to be under the same roof as Booth for another minute.

Booth pounded on the door frantically, desperate to find out what was going on. "Bones! Bones, open the door, please! Please tell me what happened!"

Booth couldn't believe what was happening. He had no idea what had gotten her so upset, but he knew this was even worse than when she had been pulled out of the field. The look in her eyes was so full of pain that it took his breath away. He could tell that she had been deeply wounded; he _had_ to find out what happened. He could hear her sobs through the door, and it broke his heart.

Finally, the door opened and a stone faced Brennan stood in front of him holding her suitcase. Her eyes flashed dangerously as she looked at him, and he flinched when he saw the pain and hatred in her eyes.

"What do you want, Booth? I heard you on the phone with Cullen, so I know all about your plan to get me to come back to work with the FBI. I know it was all a lie. I must say, Agent Booth, you played your part very well. I actually believed you cared about me. You should consider a career in acting if it doesn't work out for you with the FBI." Brennan was so angry she was shaking. "Get out of my way. Don't ever try to contact me again."

She brushed by him and headed toward the stairs. She had to find Thompson to find a way out of this house, and off this island. She had no idea where she was going to go, but anywhere would be better than here.

Just before she made it to the stairs, Booth's hand grabbed her arm and he jerked her around to face him. He realized what had happened and what she had heard. Of course it wasn't what she thought it was. She was going to listen to him if it was the last thing he did. And, judging from the look in her eyes when she turned to face him, it just might be.

All of a sudden, something in Booth snapped. This was going to end right now. He was furious that she had so little faith in him that she thought he had lied to her. She _knew_ him; she _knew_ he was an honorable man. She had to know there was no possible way on this earth he would ever manipulate her like this. He wasn't going through another eight months of pain and uncertainty, and he was done chasing her. They were going to get this straight between them right now.

He grabbed the suitcase from her hand and threw it to the ground. Moving more quickly than she could have imagined, he grabbed her arms, pinning them to her sides. "We are going to talk about this right now, whether you like it or not, Bones. I don't know what exactly you think you heard, but you've got it all wrong. I'm not going through this again."

Brennan looked at him in shock. She had heard him. There was no mistake. What in the hell did he think he was doing? If he thought she would allow him to drag her around like a child, he was sadly mistaken. She tried to move her arms to break his grip, but it was impossible. He had her arms pinned, and his grip was incredibly strong. He wasn't hurting her, but she wasn't getting away, either.

He dragged her back into his bedroom and kicked the door shut behind them. "Allright, Bones. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Can we have a reasonable discussion without you trying to run away, or am I going to have to handcuff you?"

Brennan looked at his face, and she could immediately tell he wasn't kidding. Gone was the sensitive, gentle man he had been pretending to be. This was the Special Agent Booth, who was looking at her like she was a suspect he was interrogating. Fine. If that's what she had to do to get out of here, she would let him talk.

"Go ahead, Booth. Say what you want to say, and then get the hell out of my way!" she spat. She sat on the bed, glaring at him.

"Bones, I don't know what you think you heard. I honestly don't remember the exact words I used with Cullen, but you obviously misinterpreted what I said."

"I didn't misinterpret anything, Booth. I heard you tell him that you were successful in your "mission" to get me to stay in Washington. I heard you tell Cullen that you were working on getting me back to help your closure rate." She looked at him with tears in her eyes. "How could you do this, Booth? How could you manipulate me like this? You know how hard it is for me to trust. You know better than anyone how bad I am at handling emotional situations. You made me think you loved me, just to get me to work with you again."

Straightening her shoulders, she stood up and headed for the door. "I'm sorry, Booth, but this conversation is over. I know everything I need to. Now I'm leaving. If you try to stop me again, I'm filing assault charges."

Booth couldn't care less about assault charges. He beat her to the door, standing in front of it to block her escape. "I said we were going to talk, Bones, and we are, whether you like it, or not. Sit down, shut up, and listen very carefully to what I have to say to you." Booth was furious. How dare she accuse him of manipulating her.

"Yes, I want you to come back to Washington. Yes, I want you to be my partner again. Working without you is miserable, and I miss our partnership. Cullen wants you back, Goodman wants you back, and I want you back. Cullen gave me time off for this vacation, and he asked me to try to convince you to stay. I'm not denying that." Booth paused and took a deep breath. "I wasn't lying or manipulating you when I told you I loved you. Making love to you was not a lie, and I'm hurt that you think it was. I'm hurt, Bones, that you think I would ever do something like that to you."

"I can't believe you. You were _there_. You know the connection we shared. That kind of connection only happens when two people love each other. You can't fake that, Bones. What happened between us wasn't just satisfying "biological urges." I want you to come back to Washington for many reasons, the least of which is your work with the FBI. I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. At least I did, until you decided that I was such a bastard that I would manipulate you like that for a _job_. I love my job, and it gives meaning to my life to be able to put away the scum that we deal with every day. But, the most important things in my life are you and Parker, not my job."

Seriously, how much more of this drama was he supposed to be able to take? The tension and pain of the past eight months came crashing down on him in a wave of anguish. "You heard what you wanted to hear in that conversation, Bones. You are looking for an excuse to run away from this; from us. You know what happened between us was real, and you know that I'm not the monster you are trying to make me out to be. You need to decide what you want. I'm not running after you again. You want to believe that this was all a lie, then go ahead. But know this: I love you, and I want you to come home. I don't give a damn if you come back to the FBI or not. I want you to come home to be with me. If I have to choose between a work partnership or a personal partnership, I choose personal. Now its your turn to choose. You can choose to believe what you know to be true about us, or you can choose to believe that I'm a monster who lied to you."

He abruptly turned and yanked open the door and stepped back. "You can see yourself out." He walked through the connecting door to Parker's room, closing it behind him.


	24. Chapter 24

Brennan just stood there, in shock. Slowly she turned toward the door, and made her way into her own room, shutting the door behind her. What had just happened? She _knew_ what she heard. She heard Booth telling Cullen that his "mission" was going well, and that he was working on getting her to come back to the FBI. Did she misinterpret what she heard? Was it possible that Booth was telling the truth?

Her old insecurities had come rushing back at full force when she heard him on the phone, and they were here to stay. Had she jumped to a conclusion? She was just so confused; she wanted to believe Booth, but old habits die hard. She was so used to people leaving her and letting her down that she didn't have any coping mechanism other than to believe the worst. As she sat there, trying to figure out what was true, there was a knock on her door.

She knew it couldn't be Booth. He had made it perfectly clear that the next move was up to her. She opened the door, to find Angela standing there beaming at her, holding a string bikini in her hand. Angela brushed by her and jumped on the bed. "I bought you a little present, Bren. I figured that Booth might enjoy seeing a little more of the scenery on the beach!" as Angela waved the tiny scraps of cloth at her friend, she began to notice that something was seriously wrong.

"What's going on, Bren? Is everything ok?"

"No, Ange. Everything is most definitely _not_ ok. " Brennan looked at her friend with tears in her eyes as she told her about the conversation she had overheard, and her fight with Booth. "What am I going to do, Ange? What do I believe? Everything in me is screaming for me to get as far away from here as I can right now. I can't believe how devastated I was when I heard him on the phone." She paced around the room, rubbing her fingers against her aching temples.

"I believed him when he told me he loved me. When we made love, it was the most incredible experience of my life. I finally understood what making love was all about. I just don't know what to do. Did I jump to a conclusion? Did I interpret the facts correctly? Did I just make the biggest mistake of my life?"

Angela walked over to her friend and took her in her arms. "Bren, I understand how you interpreted what you heard. Your whole life has been filled with people who used you to achieve their goals. But, Sweetie, you know that Booth isn't like that." Angela stepped back from her sobbing friend and placed her hands on either side of her face, forcing Brennan to look at her. "You need to look into your heart, Bren. Listen to what your heart has to tell you about Booth. You know instinctively what is true. I know this is asking you to take a huge leap of faith, but it's worth it. I would bet my life on the fact that Booth meant every word that he said to you. Booth is an honorable man, Bren. You know that. You know he wouldn't use you like that."

As Brennan listened to her friend, she realized that she was right. She _had_ misinterpreted what she heard. She had committed an unforgivable sin; she had jumped to a conclusion. She knew better than to do that. She should have taken the time to think about everything before attacking Booth and trying to run away.

"Oh, Ange, you're right. Of course Booth wouldn't do that to me. Booth is the best man I know. I _know_ he wouldn't hurt me like that." Brennan broke away from her friend, pacing in front of the bed once again. "How do I fix this, Ange? Can I fix this? I hurt him when I accused him of using me. You should have seen the look on his face." Brennan collapsed onto the bed, her face in her hands. "I have made such a mess of everything."

Angela sat next to her friend and smoothed the hair back from her face. Looking at Brennan with a small smile, she said, "I don't think it is going to be too awful, Bren. You are going to go in there, apologize, tell him what you just told me, and then kiss him senseless. It works every time."

Finally a smile broke out on Brennan's face. "I seriously doubt that it is possible to kiss someone senseless, Angela. But, I do see your point. So far, our whole romantic relationship has been Booth chasing me. I guess it is time that I grow up, admit my mistakes, and beg for his forgiveness." Brennan grabbed Angela's hand and held it in between her own. "Have I told you lately how lucky I am to have a friend like you? I honestly don't know what I would do without you, Ange."

Angela just laughed as she got off the bed and headed for the door. "You won't ever have to find out how to get along without me, Sweetie. We are friends forever, remember? Now, get yourself together and go see Booth. The longer you let this fester, the worse it's going to be." As Angela reached the door, she turned back, "It is almost time for dinner. I'm going to get Parker and take him down with me to give you guys some time to talk. If you don't come down for dinner, I'll have Thompson save you guys some food for later. If you need me, just call. I'll come running."

Brennan waited until she heard Angela head downstairs with Parker before going to Booth's door. Squaring her shoulders, she knocked on the door. Booth opened the door, and stood aside to let her enter his room. "Angela said you wanted to talk to me."

Brennan studied his face, looking for any sign that he might be inclined to forgive her. She didn't find one. Taking a deep breath, she began to speak.

"Seeley, I want to apologize to you for my earlier accusations. I'm afraid that I, Temperance Brennan, jumped to a conclusion." She looked up at him to see if her small attempt at humor had any effect, but his eyes remained hard. She was going to have to go further. "When I heard you on the phone, I immediately assumed that you were just like everyone else I had ever dated. I've never been with someone who really wanted to be with me. They all wanted to be with "Dr. Temperance Brennan", or they wanted to be with the "hot scientist". No one ever really tried to get to know me, or ever wanted to be with me because they were honestly interested in me as a person." Taking a deep breath, she continued, "You have always been different. You have always been the person I could count on to have my best interests at heart. I know you were not lying to me when you told me you loved me. I know that what we shared when we made love was real. I guess that it is just really hard for me to let myself believe that I deserve to have someone in my life who truly loves me. This isn't an excuse, but you know all about my family. I've been left with scars from that entire situation that will never go away. I'm damaged, Booth. I'm better than I was, but I'm never going to be a totally secure person when it comes to letting someone love me. It never really mattered to me before; I never wanted to let anyone get that close." She looked down at the floor, tears streaming down her face.

"I want to try with you, Booth. I want to try to let you into my heart all the way. I want to be able to give you unconditional trust, and love you with an open, unguarded heart. It isn't going to be easy for me, and I understand if this is all too much for you. After all of the drama I've brought into your life lately, I know I don't deserve another chance from you. But, I'm asking for one anyway."

Brennan came to the end of her speech, suddenly terrified to look at Booth. What if he had that same cold, hard look in his eyes? She had pretty much just bared her soul to him, and she didn't know if she could stand it if he rejected her now.

After a few moments, she glanced up at him. He was studying her face with a look of intense concentration. She realized her words hadn't worked. He wasn't responding at all. She felt like the world had dropped out from underneath her. She had ruined everything.

"It's ok, Booth. I understand. I'm sorry for the way that everything turned out. I'm already packed, so it won't take me long to be on my way. There's no reason for this to ruin your vacation with Parker. Angela already knows what's going on, so she'll help me find transportation off the island." With that, Brennan walked out of the room and into her own room, closing the door behind her.

As she reached for her phone to call down to Angela, the door to her bedroom burst open behind her. Booth stormed into the room and headed right towards her. Grabbing the phone from her hand, he threw it down onto the bed and grabbed Brennan by the arms.

"Temperance, when are you going to stop trying to run when things are tough? You are not a coward, so don't start acting like one now. We love each other; that is worth fighting for. Don't you want to fight for us? Don't you think we are worth it?" Booth stepped back from her, running his hands through his hair in frustration. "Are you really willing to give up that easily? Yes, this was a bad fight. You did jump to a conclusion, but I understand where that comes from. I know about your damage, which is probably only matched by my own. We are both complicated, complex people. We both come with a whole fleet of emotional baggage. I should have told you about Cullen, and how badly he wants you to come back. To be honest, it never even crossed my mind to tell you about that. I figured you knew how badly he wants you to come back, and that you would realize that he would expect me to try to convince you. I know you were hurt when you heard me talking with him, but I was devastated when you thought that I would play with your emotions like that. You believed that I would lie to you for a _job_! How do you think that made me feel? After everything that we have been through, it killed me that you could believe that I would do that to you. I would never, ever, hurt you like that, Temperance."

Brennan closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around him. She laid her cheek against his strong chest, just listening to his heart beat. "I'm sorry, Seeley. I'm very, very sorry. You are correct; I know you would never do that to me. I'm just so scared of letting myself love you this much. I don't really know what else to say. I love you, and I want to make this work, but I'm scared to death. I'm not good with emotions, and I'm really very insecure when it comes to believing that I deserve the way that you feel about me. I guess Gordon Gordon would probably say that I was trying to run away before you left me, like my father and brother did."

Booth kissed the top of her head and kneaded her shoulders gently with his hands. "I'm not going anywhere, Temperance. But, you have to promise me that you will stop running. You have to promise that you will stay and talk to me when you feel like you want to run away again. I can't be in a relationship where I have to worry all the time that you won't give us the chance to work out any problems we face. Being who we are, and doing what we do, we are definitely going to have problems along the way. We are very different people, who want different things out of life. I know we can work all of these things out along the way, if we agree to try to compromise when something is really important. Can you do that? Can you promise me that you will stop running away and that you will work with me to resolve problems when they come up?"

Brennan looked up at him and caressed his cheek with her hand. "I promise that I will do my absolute best to face things head on with you, Booth. No more running. "

"Good enough for me, Bones. " Booth lowered his head to hers and captured her lips in a sensual kiss that left her lips swollen and tingling. "Come on, Bones. As much as I would like to throw you down on that bed right now and make love to you until neither one of us can move, we need to spend some time with our family. Let's go downstairs and have dinner with Parker and our squints."

Nodding her head in agreement (which was really all she could do, given how fast her heart was pounding and the trouble she was having thinking coherently after that kiss!), they walked out of the room, hand in hand.

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Many thanks to everyone who has reviewed. Your reviews really make my day (especially Lunadea21 – your suggestions have really helped make this story much better!) I'm so sorry it has taken me so long to update this story, but life has been pretty hectic lately. I think there will only be one or two more chapters at the beach, before I bring them back to DC to figure out what they are going to do. The next chapter will be sweet family time, and then some serious smut, which I know we all love!


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